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We breezed into the playoff’s undefeated, drawing a bye in the first round, which gave us an extra week of practice to get ready. We would play the winner of St. Christopher High School and Riverbend High. That Friday night, Riverbend defeated St. Christopher 32-27 in a close game. We would play Riverbend the following Friday night. The week seemed to drag by, the entire school was anticipating the big game. We practiced light most of the week, none of the coaches wanted any unnecessary injuries at this point of the season. We arrived at the stadium about three o’clock Friday afternoon to begin preparation for the game that night. By six o’clock I was fully taped up and ready to go, I was pacing the locker room. The clock didn’t seem to move fast enough, everyone was on edge. About fifteen minutes before we were to take the field, one of our trainers came in telling my Dad the rain was coming down in buckets. This was not something he wanted to hear. We were a team with a lot of speed, a wet field would negate some of that quickness. Riverbend on the other hand was a power team, slow but big, built to grind it out. By the time we exited the tunnel, the damage had been done. There were pools of water everywhere, the rain was still coming down.

We won the toss and elected to receive the ball. The thinking was one or two scores might be enough to win this. If we could get ahead quickly before the field got too damaged, we should have the edge. As if scripted our offense took the opening possession and drove sixty five yards for a touchdown, we converted the extra point and led 7-0. The rest of the first half was very physical, the weather conditions were horrible. Both teams had trouble handling the ball much less sustaining any type of scoring drives. With less than three minutes to go before halftime Riverbend fumbled the ball on their own thirteen yard line, which we recovered. Four plays later we scored again and led 14-0 at halftime.

The second half was miserable, the field had deteriorated to a large mud pit. Neither team could do anything, the game ended as it was at halftime , 14-0.

The following Monday at school was a definite high, everyone was still buzzing about the first playoff victory in our high school’s short history. In between all of the practices, watching game film and the daily grind, I noticed that my Dad had been spending a lot of time on the phone and in meetings. I wondered what was going on but kept quiet knowing my Dad had always made the right decisions when it came to my welfare. The following week we would play one of the state’s longtime powerhouse teams, Baker High School. They had won seven state championships and were always considered one of the best teams in the region. We prepared hard for the game as always, we thought we were ready.

Four quarters later our hopes and dreams for the year were lost in the faded green scoreboard at the south end of the field. We had lost 21-10 in a hard fought contest, Baker scoring their last touchdown with three minutes left in the game. We had our opportunities, we just did not cash in on them. Our locker room was as solemn as a funeral parlor after the game, everyone collecting their gear. We rode back on the bus in silence, no one said a word. That night at home my Dad walked in my room and sat down on the bed next to me.

“Hey, I wanted to wait until the season was over to tell you what I have decided. I have accepted a defensive coordinator’s position at A&M next season.”, he said.

“You’re quitting here?”, I asked dumbfounded.

“I have to Brian. It’s a great opportunity, they don’t come along every day. I have to take the job. It means more money, more exposure, perhaps even lead to a head coaching job one day.”, he explained.

“I understand Dad.”, I replied, “Are we going to have to move ?”

“Not this year Brian. I want you to finish out next season here. I will commute whenever I can next year. After you graduate, Ashley and I will find a home up there, you will go off to college.”, he answered.

He went on to tell me that our defensive coordinator, Mike Middleton, would become head coach for next season. That was good news to me, Coach Mike was my coordinator and position coach. We got along great, he was a phenomenal coach. He told me they would make the announcement at school on Monday morning at an assembly. He asked me to keep quiet until then, I assured him I would. I stayed home the rest of the weekend resting up from a long season.

We had just arrived in our homeroom on Monday morning when I heard the Vice Principle Ms. Carter on the school intercom system asking all students to report to the gym for an assembly. Everyone filed down the halls heading to the gym. Courtney ran up from behind me, grabbing my shoulder.

“Hey, what’s going on ?”, she asked.

“Bad news I’m afraid. Come on.”, I said, grabbing her hand.

Our school was pretty informal as far as rules and regulations. We were small town America, as long as you followed the rules, everything ran smooth. I sat in the center of the gym where most of the juniors sat, seating was informal although understood. The seniors had their section and so on and so forth. Courtney sat down next to me, her hand in mine between us. The building filled quickly, the faculty and teachers up on the elevated stage. Ms. Carter stepped up to the podium and asked for quiet, which she immediately received.

“Ladies and gentleman, please settle down.’, she demanded.

“First of all I want to congratulate Coach Stevens and the football team for a wonderful season. We are all proud of your efforts, as well, you should be proud of yourselves. We all realize the effort and sacrifice you put in this year.”, she continued.

“With that said, we have some sad news for our beloved school. But I think Coach Stevens should be the one to tell you. Coach, would you please come up here.”, she ended.

My Dad slowly stood up and walked to the podium. I could see the weight of his decision was taking a huge toll on him. The sadness was evident in his face. Courtney leaned over and whispered in my ear.

“What’s going on Brian ?”

I just squeezed her had tight and turned back to see my Dad lean into the microphone nervously.

“Thank you Ms. Carter, good morning everyone. I too, want to thank the entire school for the effort and dedication you showed to our team this year. I cannot convey to you how proud of these young men I am. In football as in life, hard work and dedication pay off. That is what makes my decision so difficult but nonetheless necessary. I am resigning as head coach effective immediately, this will be my last year here.”, he stated.

Immediately there were some loud comment’s of denial, everyone was talking at once. Courtney was staring at me with a blank look on her face. I just shook my head slowly at her.

“I have accepted a coaching position at A&M next season, it’s a dream come true for me. While I am heartbroken to be leaving you, I have to follow my dream. But I am proud to let everyone know that this team will be in good hands next year. The school board has already approved Coach Mike Middleton as my successor, although there was never any doubt, he was the right man for the job.”, he continued.

There were few claps, a few cheers but the crowd was still pretty much stunned. By now I could feel hundreds of eyes on me, I knew what everyone was thinking. I looked over at Courtney, I saw her tearing up, her head down. Once again, I squeezed her hand tightly.

“Although I will be residing up north near A&M, my son Brian Stevens has decided to return here for his senior year rather than move with me at this time.”, he ended.

There were some more claps, a couple of players got up and shook my hand. Courtney was squeezing my hand so tight my fingers were turning white. My Dad relinquished the podium to Coach Mike who graciously accepted his new role, speaking briefly about the future. The assembly ended soon after, everyone filing back to their classes. Courtney walked with me to our next class.

“Can we talk tonight ?”, she asked.

“Sure, no problem. I will call you tonight after I get home from the gym.”, I replied.

That night Courtney and I talked about the upcoming year, what my plans were and what we thought our future was. We talked for several hours on the phone before hanging up. It wasn’t until I was lying there in the dark did I realize that once again life was changing, things would never be the same again.

With football over, I decided once again, with Coach Mike’s approval to begin my off season weight program off campus. He knew what was going on and decided since it was my last year not to make any waves. He just asked that I check in with him once a week or so and let him know how I was progressing. On my first full day back at the gym, I looked up Carl, the owner of the gym. Carl was a former U.S. Olympic Power Lifter and definitely knew his way around performance enhancing drugs. He was also a master of building both muscle mass and an expert in strength training. I basically told Carl what had happened with my Dad, but more importantly what I wanted next year. I wanted to dominate my opponents, I was willing to do whatever it took. Carl was always partial to me, I think due to my dedication in the gym. I never missed a workout, I pushed myself to the limit every time, he liked that.

Within a week I was “stacking”, a term that basically meant I was taking both anabolic steroids and HGH in combination with each other. That in addition to two workouts per day, one at five in the morning, another at five in the evening and an enormous amount of protein intake everyday should do the trick. I started the program in mid January and had until early August before any organized practice would start at school. I was absolutely relentless for the next seven months, pushing myself to exhaustion day after day. I barely saw Courtney other than at school and maybe once on the weekends. We had become quite close, although we still had not had sex. In fact we had not done anything much other than what we had the night after the dance.

The first two months under Carl’s program my weight actually dropped from 277 pounds to about 260 pounds. But my strength was definitely up, I was pushing more weigh than ever. By the time our first organized practice was scheduled my weight was up to 288 lbs., my body fat was incredibly low. Even though physically I only weighed maybe ten pounds more than the year before, because of the loss of body fat, the muscle mass I gained, I looked much bigger. We started our organized practices the second week of August, the sun was blistering. It was quite easy to see who had taken the off season casually. Coach Mike was extremely upset with most of the team who had apparently thought this season under him would be easier. He dispelled that theory quickly as he drilled them into submission. I saw at least a dozen or so players throwing up, the heat and exhaustion had become too much. I dominated the line drills, no one could block me one on one. In fact I beat most two on one drills as well. I had become quicker, stronger and faster. No one on this team could come close to controlling me on the line of scrimmage. We were barely a month away from our first game, school was starting this coming Monday. The local newspaper came out with the preseason rankings and perspective senior prospects. Our team was ranked second in our district and thirteenth in the state. I was selected second team all district honors along with Chris Keller, our best running back.

I was a bit anxious to start back to school, after all it was going to be my senior year. The only drawback was that my Dad would be gone most of the time, I knew it was going to be hard on Ashley. I had a total of seven classes that year, five were with Courtney, which was great. It was nice to see everyone again Monday morning, some I had not seen since school had ended this past summer. Everyone could not help but commenting on how big I had gotten during the summer, I was even getting the eye from a few girls in my class. I was not the one who noticed the latter, Courtney was. She informed me of that on Friday night when we were waiting for the movie to start.

“You better keep your eyes and hands to yourself mister.”, she informed me as we sat there holding hands.

“Courtney, I barely have time to see you , much less try to juggle more than one girl. You know better.”, I laughed.

By this time the theatre had pretty much filled up and the movie started. It was a boring movie, I could barely keep my eyes open, but Courtney seemed to enjoy it. We stopped and had a hamburger then headed home, stopping to drop her off at her house. Courtney lived in an upscale area of town, several streets of real high end homes. Her dad owned his own business, he appeared to be every successful. As I pulled into her drive, I noticed the house was dark, only her mother’s car was in the driveway. I got out of my truck, walked around and opened Courtney’s door for her. We walked slowly up to the front door as was our ritual. We usually ended the night with several heated and passionate goodnight kisses. As I pulled her close to me and pressed my lips to hers, I noticed she was not as aggressive as usual.

“You ok Court ? Is there something wrong ?” I asked.

“No not really. Um…. I need to ask….. Well …do you have to go home now ?”, she stuttered.

“No, not really. You want to go back out somewhere ?”, I inquired, looking at my watch.

It was past midnight, there was very little left open in this small town at this time of night. Other than the local diner, pretty much everything else was closed.

“Well no, but you can come in if you want. My Mom, Dad and Sister are out of town tonight. They won’t be back until late tomorrow.”, she said, looking nervous.

“Oh wow Court, I don’t know if that’s a good idea. They might get really pissed if they find out.”, I warned.

As I stepped past her into the front foyer, I looked over my shoulder, I guess out of caution. I knew Courtney’s Dad would not be happy with us being alone in his house. We had a good relationship, I did not want to mess that up. I followed her into the family room, she veered off into the kitchen. She returned a few minutes later with two glasses of iced tea.

“You want to watch TV ?”, she asked.

“I don’t care, whatever you want to do is fine with me.”, I muttered.

We were watching TV for about twenty minutes when it dawned on me I had better call Ashley and tell her where I was. Even though my Dad was out of town, I knew he expected me to mind Ashley, giving her my complete respect. I dialed her cell phone number, she answered on the third ring.

“Hi, did I wake you up ?”, I asked.

“No, I am watching a movie on TV. Where are you at this time of night ?”, she shot back.

“I am at Courtney’s watching TV. I just wanted to let you know I was ok.”, I responded.

“Brian, are her parents there ?”, she asked, with authority in her voice.

Now Ashley knew me quite well by now, there was no doubt about how my Father had raised me. I knew the repercussions of a lie, I had paid them several times as a teenager. My Dad trusted me completely, only because I had earned that trust. He knew no matter how bad I had screwed up, I would admit to it. Ashley knew that as well.

“No, they are out of town till tomorrow.”, I answered quickly.

“Brian, do you really think that it’s a good idea you two are alone in their house ?”, she fired back at me. “I won’t tell you what to do, you’re a man now, just remember one bad decision can affect your entire life.”

I told Ashley I would be home shortly, not to worry. She seemed relieved, although I am sure she still had concerns. I hung up and sat back on the sofa again with Courtney.

“Ms. Thompson is upset that you’re here ?”, she asked.

“A little bit maybe. She just thinks it’s not a good idea.”, I answered.

She leaned over and softly kissed me on the lips, her hand on the back of my neck. She immediately parted her lips and pushed her tongue between my lips. I reached out for her, pulling her close to me. I could tell from the way she responded to my kiss she was really excited again. She leaned back on the sofa, pulling me over her. I ran my hand up the inside of her jean covered thigh stopping when I reached her zipper. She broke our kiss and whispered softly into my ear, her hot breathe warming my face.

I reached up and unbuttoned her jeans, pulling the zipper down slowly as I kissed her once again. This time she was passionate, more relaxed, the urgency seemed gone. I pushed my hand inside of her panties, my finger finding her slick pussy. She gently moaned as my finger entered her vagina, her hips moving forward against my hand.
I could feel her lips on my neck, gently kissing and licking my skin. I pushed her jeans down her hips exposing her black laced panties. Courtney was beautiful, her body flawless, her legs long and smooth. I reached under the waistband of her panties again, my fingers quickly finding her drenched vagina. I began to gently rub her clit back and forth, feeling it swelling under my touch. With my other hand, I reached up and pushed her panties down her legs exposing her lips, a soft patch of red hair neatly trimmed framing her pink opening. She turned slightly and laid flat on her back on the sofa, her legs spread exposing herself to me. Her right hand moved over her pussy, her fingers finding her clit, flicking across it rapidly. I guess I must have read her mind, I’m not sure, but I leaned down my mouth covering her pussy. I extended my tongue and placed it against the bottom of her slit and took one very long and slow lick upwards, pausing on her clit for just a second.

“Oh my Goddddddddddddddddddddddd…………………..,” she moaned.

I opened my lips gently and began to suck her clit, my tongue flicking across as I pulled it into my mouth. From the movement of her hips under me, there was no doubt she was enjoying the feeling. I reached up and eased one finger inside of her as I continued to suck on her clit. Her pussy fluid became somewhat thicker, a distinct sweet taste was evident as it flowed from her. I could tell from past experience with her she was extremely close to reaching an orgasm. I reached up with two fingers and opened her lips up exposing her swollen clit. I began to rapidly flick my tongue back and forth over her as quickly as I could. It took less than a minute before she grabbed my head and held on tight.

“Oh shit…………..Oh God ,that’s so fucking good………………”, she wailed.

Her hips thrashed under my mouth, fluid pouring from her, covering my face. I held her tight, as I pushed my tongue deep inside of her, tasting her thick cum for the first time. I felt her body starting to relax, her orgasm subsiding as I continued to softly lick her throbbing clit. I could still feel thick fluid oozing from between her lips. Her fingers were gently running through my short black hair gently, lovingly. Almost as quickly as her body relaxed from her orgasm, she once again began to move her hips in response to my tongue. Her breathing became shallow once again, her muscles tensing, then relaxing. A few seconds later she had her second orgasm, her body rigid as she shook under my tongue. I eased my tongue deep inside of her, once again tasting her cum as she continued to tremble beneath me.

Finally she opened her eyes, her face flushed, her eyes had almost a sleepy look to them.

“Brian, that was incredible. I have never cum that hard in my life.”, she whispered, “Thank you so much.”

I leaned back over her and pressed my lips to hers, my tongue pushing into her mouth. Her tongue met mine as she tasted her own cum from my mouth. She moved from under me, sitting up on the sofa. She reached down and pulled her laced panties back up her long legs, her thumbs adjusting her waistband.

She sat back against the sofa, she looked exhausted, yet radiant.

“You ok, Court ?”, I asked.

“Oh yea, I’m very ok.”, she answered.

“Good. Look I am gonna go before Ashley gets too out of sorts with me.”, I told her.

“Noooooooooo. Not yet.”, she whined.

“Yea, I better Court. It’s almost one thirty, I know she is watching the clock.”, I said , getting up.

“But , you didn’t …… uh … you know.”, she said softly.

“It’s ok, really. I will, next time ok ?”, I answered.

She jumped up and wrapped her arms around me squeezing me tight. I kissed the top of her head, her hair soft with a slight smell of honey. I kissed her softly for a minute, then left her curled up on the sofa. I drove straight home, it was almost two in the morning when I got there. I went in the kitchen door and saw that all the lights were out. As I walked softly down the hall, I heard Ashley call out from her room.

“You home Brian ?”, she asked.

“Yes, mam.”, I answered, as I went into my bedroom.

I was sitting on the bed taking off my shoes when Ashley walked in. She was in her robe, her hair was hanging in her eyes. Even right out of bed, Ashley was just drop dead gorgeous.

“I do hope you know I will not lie to your Father for you. If he asks, I have to tell him you came in very late tonight.”, she stated.

“Yes mam, I understand.”, I replied.

“Brian, I hope you didn’t do anything stupid tonight. You possibly have a great career ahead of you, the last thing you need is getting Courtney pregnant.”, she warned.

“I understand. Just so you know, Courtney and I haven’t had sex. Well not like that anyway. I know better.”, I responded.

It was strange to see the look Ashley gave me when I made this statement. It was almost comical for a lack of a better word. It was like she was trying to think of the right words to say. I decided to help her out.

“I mean, we have fooled around a little, but at no time was that ever an issue and it won’t be.”, I stated.

“Ohhhh … Ok.”, she answered, looking somewhat relieved.

She turned and left my room, closing the door behind me. It was rather amusing to see a woman of Ashley’s demeanor being thrown by sexual conversations of a teenager.

We started school anxiously the following week, our first game was Friday night here in town. It was always a standing room only event here, football was definitely king. The school was decorated all that week by the Spirit Squad and Cheerleaders, moral was definitely high.
The week seemed to pass quickly and once again I was sitting on the trainer’s table getting taped up for what was my last season here. I was ready to go at least an hour before the game. I found a quiet corner of the locker and sat down on the floor, I didn’t want to talk to anyone. I needed to focus myself on where I needed to be mentally. I needed to bring the aggression out, it was time to put away manners and niceties.

We hit the field fifteen minutes before kickoff and began to warm up across from Westwood High, who as last year, was our opening night opponent. They were loaded with seniors and figured to give us a run for the district title. Both teams knew what was at stake in this one. If you lost and your opponent won out, there was no way you get to the playoffs.

We kicked off first, they started their first drive on their forty yard line. As we broke the huddle, I saw my opponent for the first time. He was maybe six foot tall and two hundred fifty pounds. As I got down on his outside shoulder, I looked up into his eyes. He had that deer in the headlights look, he knew he was going to be in for a long night. One the first play they had a power toss left play set up, where the tight end came in motion to my side and both he and the left tackle tried to pin me and run outside. I think I was past the tackle before he could get out of his stance, the tight end tried to slide over and chip me but I simply pushed him backwards into the running back and blew up the play for a seven yard loss. There was absolutely no way this guy was going to handle me tonight.

By the end of the first half we had a 13 - 0 lead, They only gotten one first down in the first half. I had eight tackles and a pass block in two quarters. By the end of the quarter, they were lining up a tight end next to the left tackle to try and block me. We made our halftime adjustments and headed back out on to the field. Before we went out on defense for the first time, Coach Mike told me he would be moving me back and forth between the right and left end for the rest of the game. That way they could not scheme to run away from me or double me on the line. It worked perfectly, they were completely out of sync in the second half. We scored three more times and held them to only three first downs in the second half. I had seven more tackles and forced two fumbles. In fact, I was only one tackle short of the school record for one game which was sixteen. We easily won 34-0, getting off to a great start. My Dad was not able to make the game but I did see Ashley on her cell phone several times during the game updating him. I showered quickly in the locker room and was getting dressed when my cell phone rang. It was my Dad.

“Hey hotshot, I heard you had a whale of a game.”, he said.

“Yes sir. It went well.”, I replied.

“You got the record for tackles tonight ?”, he inquired.

“No sir, I was short by one, I only had fifteen. “, I responded disappointed.

“Only fifteen ?”, my Dad laughed, “Son you play like that week in week out, every major college in the country will be knocking our door down.”

I finished dressing and headed out to the parking lot where Ashley was waiting. A lot of the students were hanging out in the parking lot,
Really having a great time. Courtney was with two of her friends, Jasmin and Kelly who were both cheerleaders. I never could figure out why Courtney was not a cheerleader. She was easily one of the best looking girls in the school. Ashley gave me a big hug and a kiss on the cheek.

“Hotshot, you were incredible. I have never seen anything like it.”, she stated.

“Thanks, it was fun.”, I replied.

“You going out with your friends tonight ?”, she asked.

“No, I don’t think so, Court and I are going out tomorrow night, I think I am gonna go home with you.” I responded.

I told Courtney of my plans and kissed her goodbye, she told me she would go out with Jasmin and Kelly for a while if that was ok. I reassured her that was fine and to have a good time. I left with Ashley and we went directly home.

We had a great next four weeks. Ashley and my Dad were married the following Saturday in front of a small gathering of family and friends. They didn’t really take a honeymoon, they just went away for the weekend because they both had to be at their respective schools on Monday morning. We won our next four games easily, in fact we posted another three shut outs. Our defense had become a dominate unit, we literally shut everyone’s offense down. The newspapers were saying we could be one of the best defenses in the history of this state, we were that good. They were now projecting that four of us would get scholarships to play at the next level. My Dad had made two games thus far which considering was very good. Courtney and I were getting along well, everything seemed to be falling into place.

We ended the season undefeated and drew a bye in the first round of the playoffs. We watched the first round of games to see who our opponent would be. We would be playing Southside High, a relative newcomer to the playoffs. They had a coach who was very outspoken, in fact, a lot of people said he was downright arrogant, but his team bought into it. They only lost once all year, that game being decided by three points. They ran a veer type offense which basically hinged on my play. The entire offense was schemed on how the defensive end’s reacted, I knew I would be heavily involved in the game. I talked to my Dad on Tuesday, he told me he would fly in Friday evening in time for the game. He would fly back out Friday night. We prepared hard that week, I knew we had a good game plan going in.

As usual I was taped up early and ready to go over an hour before the game was to start. I was sitting in the corner of the locker room alone as usual when Coach Mike approached me.

“Brian, can I ….. can I see you a moment son.”, he asked, in a shaky voice.

I got up and followed him out of the locker room to the coach’s office and went inside with him. He motioned for me to sit in the chair across from the desk. I had no idea what this was about, somehow it didn’t look good. I had never seen Coach Mike this somber. Not even during our loss last year was he this quiet. There was a knock on the door, one of the other coaches opened the door, in walked Ashley. As soon as I looked at her, I knew. I looked back at Coach Mike.

“Son, there isn’t an easy way to say this. Because of the man you are, I am just going to say it. Your Dad’s small plane went down about two hours ago. No one made it out alive.”, he said softly.

I turned to look at Ashley, I could see tears streaming down her face.
I stood up and walked over to her wrapping my arms around her. We both cried as Coach Mike quietly left the room. I don’t know how long we stood there, it seemed like forever. I led Ashley back to one of the chairs and helped her sit down, I sat in another. A minute or so later there was a knock on the door, Coach Mike opened it just wide enough to stick his head in.

“Can I come in for a moment ?”, he asked.

I nodded to him and he stepped in and closed the door behind him . He moved over and sat on the corner of the desk, the weight of this was bearing down heavily on him. He was one of my Dad’s best friends, I knew this was killing him.

“Brian, I want you to take Ashley home right now. Don’t even go back to the locker room, go straight home. I don’t know how I am going to tell the team but it was on the radio at least an hour ago, people in the stands are going to know. I can’t let the kids find out like that.”, he stated.

Ashley nodded quickly to him, he got up and headed back to the locker room. I got up and reached for Ashley’s hand, which she placed so gently into mine. As bad as I felt for myself, I felt worst for her. She stood up slowly and turned to the door. I guess we took about three steps, the sound of my cleats were deafening on the gray painted concrete floor, before she stopped dead in her tracks.

“Brian, I don’t know how you feel and if I am way off base, please tell me.”, she said, “But personally, I think your Dad would want you to play tonight, for him.”

It took a few seconds for what she had said to sink in. I could see she was sincere in her words, she was not saying this for my benefit.

“Brian, if these roles were reversed and we had just lost you, he would be devastated. But he would still lead those young men in that locker room onto the field tonight. He would hate to be out there without you, but he would do it.”, she ended.

Again I thought for a moment, hard as it was to think about, she was right. My Dad lived for this game, now he had died for it. I stood there looking into her eyes for several moments. I knew she was right. I moved over and hugged her once again, her arms holding onto me tightly.

I walked out of the small office hand in hand with Ashley. I left her at the locker room door, she wished me well, saying she would be watching. As I opened the locker room door, everyone was kneeling, their heads down, a lot of tears were being shed. Most of these guys in here had played for my Dad at least one year, some of us three years. As hard as he was on us, everyone to man, respected him. Everyone looked up as I entered the room, some in disbelief.

“Coach, I had a talk with Ashley. I’m going to play, for my Dad. All I ask is that everyone act normal, give me some space.”, I said calmly.

Coach Mike stood up and walked over to me. He put his arms around me and hugged me as only a coach could. He stepped back and looked me in the eyes.

“Brian, you’re quite a man. But make sure you are doing this for the right reason.”, he said, “Not for us, but for you.”

“This is not for me Coach. This is for him.”, I answered, walking past him to pickup my gear.

We hit the field several minutes later to a packed crowd on both sides of the field. I looked up into our stands, a lot of familiar faces were present. I could see from their demeanor just about everyone in the stadium knew by now. Coach was right to tell the team when he did. The game started with our offense getting the first possession of the night. I sat on the end of the bench as they went on a long drive. I could feel the anger and hate boiling up in me as I sat. I was not sure who I was angry with but I knew who I was going to take it out on. With barely four minutes off the clock, our offense punched a touchdown in the end zone. I got up, putting on my helmet and gloves, preparing to take the field. I saw our quarterback Jason talking to the official in the end zone, then turn and jog off the field towards me. He stopped a few feet ahead of me, walking the last few steps.

“This is for your Dad. And we’re not done yet.”, he said, extending the ball to me.

“Thanks Jason.”, I said, taking the ball.

We kicked off and they started their first drive from their own twenty six yard line. I was already on the line kneeling down when they broke the huddle. As they lined up, I looked into the backfield to see their all-state running back strut around the backfield like a rooster. Now I knew who would be the victim of all of this anger.

The entire game seem to move in slow motion for me. It was like I knew what they were running and where it was going. I ended the night with twelve tackles, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. We won easily 28-7, their only score coming late in the fourth quarter when most of the seniors were off of the field.

The next few days were really hard, thankfully Ashley handled everything. The funeral was held Thursday morning, it appeared the whole town turned out. In fact I was told that my mother and my grandparents were there, which really surprised me. By end of the day all I wanted to do was be away from people. I know everyone meant well, it was just a very long and sad day.

We arrived back home about three thirty in the afternoon, I undressed and laid down for a while, Ashley did the same. When I got up about six o’clock she was in the kitchen making soup and sandwiches. We ate, cleaned up and watched TV in silence, nothing really needed to be said. I took Friday off from school, I told Coach Mike I would meet the team at two o’clock the next day at school. We were playing out of town so we had about a ninety minute bus ride to their stadium. We were two games away from the State AAAA Championship, a goal that still seemed so far way.

We won our next game in a close hard fought battle, the score was 14-10. Defensively we didn’t play well, we allowed them to convert too many third downs, letting drives continue. In the end we won, but I didn’t play well, most of us didn’t. Coach Mike let us know about it too after the game was over.

I went back to class on Monday, Ashley went back to teaching her class. I pretty much went through the motions that week at school, nothing seem to really matter. We practiced every afternoon getting ready for Friday’s game. A win would insure us of a spot in the State Championship game. Emotions were running high at school, despite what had happened.

We played the next game at home, our record was better overall, giving us the home field edge. Everyone stepped it up a bit, the defense was exceptional, we won easily 21-7. We would play in the State Championship next Saturday night in Midway, a large town 150 miles away. We would play in a college type stadium with an artificial surface, something we had never experienced.

School was absolutely crazy the following week, everyone was riding a very tough emotional year. No team from this town had ever been in a State Championship game, no one had ever gotten even close. The news media showed up at school on Tuesday for an interview with our coaches. After the interview with Coach Mike, one of the reporters asked to speak to me.

“How does it feel to be this close to a State Championship Brian ?”, he asked.

“Good I guess. It still doesn’t seem real, I guess.”, I replied.

“It only seems fitting that after your Dad’s accident, his former school should be here.”, he stated.

“I guess, I dunno. I am sure he is happy.”, I answered.

“You’re being touted as possibly the best defensive player in the State. Any idea’s on where you would like to go to school ?”, he inquired.

“No sir, not at all.”, I replied.

The interview was on TV that night, I basically came off looking like an idiot, at least I thought so. Thursday morning’s paper ran a five page special article on the entire team and what we had been through this year. It listed all the players and their respective resumes. It was really a nice article, until we got to the last page. They had interviewed the coach of the opposing team, Parkview High, a powerhouse school with eleven state championships to their credit. Their coach got extremely personal in his article about me.

{ “You know, there is a difference between a great team and a very good team. Yea, they’re good, but we’re great. Other than the freak they have on defense, they’re a pretty mediocre team. And by the way, that kind of size and strength is not normal, if you know what I mean. I’m just saying….that’s all….. }

I had to read the article three times to let it sink in. In this day and age, it was surprising an opposing coach would give his opponent billboard material to add fuel to the fire. Yep, we were the small school, we were the underdog, but still you never know. As I walked down the hall in school that day, apparently everyone else had read the article as well. I was getting some pretty strange looks from everyone. At the end of fourth period, I was headed to lunch. Courtney caught up to me and we sat together in the corner of the cafeteria.

“Brian, is what they say in the newspaper true ? Have you taken drugs to get this big ?”, she asked quietly.

“Courtney, it’s not worth talking about. All they are trying to do is get in my head. They can say what they want, I will answer them Saturday night.”, I answered.

We took the school bus to the stadium Saturday, we left town about noon, the game was for seven thirty that night. There were close to fifty cars that followed the bus up to the game, it looked like a parade. We arrived at the stadium about three o’clock, we had stopped for a meal on the way. We went out on the field at our allotted four o’clock slot and got our ninety minutes of work in on the artificial surface. I found it to be very fast, I liked it a lot. As we were winding up, the opposing team gathered at the tunnel on the north end to come out. Their head coach walked out and shook hands with Coach Mike. I never took my eye off of him, I stared him down the entire time. We left the field quickly, beginning our pre-game rituals. I was taped up and ready to go an hour and a half before kick off. I just sat quietly in the corner, my eyes closed, waiting for what would be the biggest game of my life thus far. About thirty minutes before kickoff one of our assistant coaches came back in the room and walked over to me.

“Brian, every major college in the region has someone here son. And apparently, they all are here to see you.”, he said as he patted my shoulder.

“Thanks Coach, I hope I don’t let them down.”, I replied.

I couldn’t speak to anyone about a scholarship until after the season was over, but that was almost here. My Dad had warned me that I would probably get an offer or two immediately after the game. He told me we would take it all in, relax then make a smart decision down the road. I had until May 1st to commit, it was still early.

We exited the south tunnel at exactly 7:11 pm Saturday evening, I noticed the clock as we ran out. The stadium was packed, we were greeted with a warm reception. As one of the teams co-captains, I would be allowed to go to mid-field for the coin toss before the game. As the referee explained the ground rules and the coin toss, I looked over at their quarterback. He looked extremely nervous, his eyes darting around. They were known as a wide open passing team, he knew the game depended on his having a good night. We lost the coin flip and had to kickoff. They started from their thirty four yard line.

My opponent for the night was a 6’2”, 260 lb. sophomore left tackle, who according to their coaches would play major college ball. As I lined up across from him for the first play, he looked up at me for the first time. He did not appear to be very confident to me.

They ran a few plays, got a first down and moved the ball out to the fifty yard line. They liked to play action pass on first down, in fact they were pretty predictable. We set a pass rush for first down banking on that, holding our linebackers in case they ran. We were running a cross stunt up front with the tackle stepping over to my man, I was going inside on his. As the ball was snapped I delayed a half count as I was taught. Our defensive tackle slid over on my man, his man slid with him giving me a clean shot to the quarterback. I accelerated through the hole as he stepped up in the pocket. I have never hit anyone that hard in my life. His body collapsed under me, my weight landing on him as I drove him into the turf. I heard “ball, ball , ball”, which meant fumble. As I got up, I saw we had recovered the ball at their thirty eight yard line. I looked down to see him slowly getting up off of the field, I knew he was still feeling the hit.

Our offense took over and we scored quickly giving us the lead, 7-0.
They came back out on the second possession and loaded a tight end on my side, which was something I was used to by now. They opened with a few running plays between the tackles, which we ate up. They threw and converted on third down, giving them a fresh set of downs. On first down, they ran a toss sweep to my side. I had the play diagnosed quickly and was moving in to make a tackle went I was taken out by two players. One hit me helmet first in the my side, the other took out my legs. I immediately knew I was hurt. I couldn’t catch my breath, I had a shooting pain in my side. I trotted off the field, the trainers meeting me halfway.

“Where Brian ?”, he asked immediately.

I was pulled to the training area immediately as I pointed to my upper side. My jersey was yanked off, my pads next, then my shirt lifted. As the trainer pressed on my ribs, I felt a shooting pain. You could already see the bruising, the blood coming to the skin.

“I think you may have broken ribs, Brian. I’m sorry.”, he informed me.

“No way Doc, tape me up, shoot me up, do something. But get me back in this shit now.”, I demanded.

“It’s gonna be painful, hard to breath. But before I can do that, I have to get an X-Ray, come on.”, he answered.

They drove me off of the field in the golf cart, back to the locker room. There were medical techs on hand for this type of thing. I was quickly escorted in a tent like enclosure where several X Ray’s were taken. A few minutes later our trainer came back, the X-Rays in hand.

“You have two fractured ribs, the good news is they are still intact. I could tape you up, pad you, but it’s gonna hurt Brian. It’s gonna be a struggle just to breathe.”, he warned.

“I don’t care Doc, get me back in it.”, I begged.

They took me back to our locker room and stripped me from the waist up. I was given two injections into the side by needle, then taped up. A padded shirt was put on, then my shoulder pads. They then brought out a flak jacket device that quarterbacks wear to protect themselves. They attached the pads to my shoulder pads, then my jersey was pulled back on.

“How do you feel Brian.”, the trainer asked.

“Let’s do it.”, I told him.

They brought me back on the field quickly , we were mid-way through the second quarter. They had the ball and were driving at our thirty five yard line. My defensive coordinator sent me in immediately, I ran into the huddle. Devon, our middle linebacker slapped my helmet as I entered the huddle.

“Good to have the beast back, baby.”, he roared, “Let’s inflict some pain B-Boy.”

By now I was down right insane. They intentionally tried to take me out, there was no doubt about it. My hands were shaking as I lined up in my stance. My opponent sensed it too, I could see the fear in his eyes. I knew they would test me quickly to see if I could hold my own. They didn’t waste anytime. The next play was another toss sweep my way, but this time I saw the block coming and side stepped it. I met the running back right at the sideline and violently drove him out of bounds right in front their bench. They immediately began yelling and trying to pull me off of him. I felt a lot of hands on me, I started pushing back. It took a few seconds but I heard Devon get there, jumping in the pile.

“Way to go B-Boy, you blew that fucker up.”, he yelled.

The referee’s stepped in quickly, separating players and coaches. We held them to a long field goal attempt which they missed. We took over and went on a long drive to finish the half with a field goal of our own, we had a 10-0 lead.

By halftime, the medication was wearing off, it was becoming difficult to breath. I motioned to the trainer, who came over quickly. I quietly asked if I could have another injection before the second half. He agreed but telling me only one more. Right before we went out on the field, I was given another injection.

We opened the second half with the ball and on the second play our running back broke two tackles at the line of scrimmage and ran sixty two yards for a score. As improbable as it was, we were leading 17-0 early in the third quarter. Late in the third quarter our other end had wrapped up the quarterback and he was going down. Devon arrived a second later and put his helmet right on the ball, which popped up right in front of me. I quickly pulled the ball in and ran twenty seven yards to the end zone scoring my first ever touchdown in high school. I was buried under a sea of bodies, a mass celebration in the end zone.
We now had a 24-0 lead with just a little over one quarter to play. Suddenly the dream seemed very real, we were very close. They scored on their next two possessions closing the lead to 24-14, a two possession game, we were suddenly brought back to reality.

On the ensuing kickoff, our return man fumbled the ball on our own twenty five, which they recovered. It was our first serious mistake of the night. With just over seven minutes left, they could cut the gap to three points. The defense took the field again, we needed a stop bad. They tried a quick trap on first down which Devon sniffed out and stopped for a one yard game. On second down, I was able to sack their quarterback for a nine yard loss, giving them a long third down.
They completed a short pass on third down, leaving them fourth and eight to go for a first down. With 5:13 left on the clock, they had no choice but to go for it, they may only get the ball back once more, if they don’t. As soon as they lined up Devon recognized the play, he immediately hit an audible.

“Kill, Kill, Kill ……… Power left, Cross, Fire Left.”, he screamed.

He had recognized a pass play and immediately put us in a blitz call. The linebacker over my shoulder was going to go on a blitz, I would drop back into coverage in his spot. I was worried about this call, running full speed was hard, I could barely breathe, the tape compressing my ribs. The tackle completely missed our linebacker, barely getting a piece of him. I back peddled immediately getting in the left middle passing lane looking for a receiver. The quarterback saw the blitz coming, there was not a lot he could do. There was a receiver maybe seven yards behind me, he threw the ball high trying to fit it in. I jumped as high as I could my fingers tipping the ball on it’s point, sending it tumbling end over end down the field. I turned just in time to see our free safety pluck the ball out of the air and run down the sidelines. He was knocked out of bounds at midfield, the crowd was roaring.

Our offense was not able to get a first down however, we were going to have to punt the ball back to them with about three and a half minutes left. As I standing on the sidelines waiting to go back in, Coach Mike walked up to me.

“Brian, we have this in hand, you don’t have to go back out there. Just so you know though, you’re one tackle away from a state record for most tackles in one year. You’re tied right now, it’s up to you.”, he said, smiling.

I didn’t even respond, I simply buckled my chin strap and ran back onto the field. With fifty six seconds left in the game, I got the tackle I had been looking for. The stadium announcer’s voice boomed through the public address system informing the crowd what had just happened. At the same time, my replacement trotted on to the field slapping my helmet. Coach Mike was stepping back, giving me the moment. I slowly trotted off the field, the crowd yelling it’s approval. Coach Mike met me halfway, grabbing me in a bear hug.

“Your Dad is smiling Brian. We did it, you did it. We are State Champs.”, he yelled.

I watched the last two plays from the sidelines, trying to catch my breathe, the pain finally registering in my brain. The game ended, the teams met at mid-field and paid their respects. I was grabbed by the trainer and hustled off to the medical tent again. As soon as I walked inside of it, people began to pull gear off of me. Within minutes I was back on the table, another set of pictures being taken. By now my entire side was beginning to turn purple, the pain was coming back. I sat back up and waited for the doctor to read the X Ray’s again. A few minutes later our trainer came back, a smile on his face.

“Everything’s ok Brian. Nothing changed, it’s gonna hurt like hell for a week or so but you will be fine. Come on, take a shower and I am gonna tape you up for the night.”, he said.

I quickly showered as the team whooped it up in the locker room. I climbed up on the table and he re-taped me, just not as tight as the last time. He handed me a bottle of extra strength pain reliever telling me to take two every six hours. He told me if I continued to have trouble breathing, go to the doctor at once. I thanked him and rejoined the team in the locker room. Everyone was finished dressing and ready to board the bus for the trip back to town. Coach Mike informed us there were some reporters waiting outside to interview people as well as a few recruiters who were looking to get a leg up on their competition.

The team began filtering out of the dressing room, I finished packing my bag, emptying my locker. I was one of the last players out, I was walking with the trainer who had worked on me during the game. As soon as we exited the hall into the main lobby several people rushed towards us. A lady with a microphone was the first to arrive jamming the device into my face.

“Brian, you played an incredible game. You went out early but came back. Can you tell me the extent of your injuries ?”, she asked quickly.

I had already been told by the coaches to downplay any questions about my injury and the treatment I received. Technically I knew that I should not have been allowed to go back in the game with cracked ribs, much less be given pain killers.

“It was no big deal, I had the wind knocked out of me. I was having some trouble breathing for a few minutes but it passed.”, I answered.

“It appeared to me that you were favoring your ribs after you returned to the game. In addition it appeared you were wearing extra padding after you came back in. Did you injure your ribs ?”, another man asked with a smirk on his face.

“I had the wind knocked out of me. My side was a bit sore for the rest of the game but it was nothing serious.”, I answered, “Thank you so much for the time but I really have to catch the bus back home.”

I began to move away from the reporters when a tall man in a very nice business suit approached me. He introduced himself as a recruiter for a college in Alabama and wanted to talk for a while. I thanked him but explained I had to catch a bus and moved on. The media followed us to the bus still screaming out questions, unrelenting in their desire for information. We were the last on the bus, the doors closed and we pulled out of the parking lot. My ribs were extremely sore, every breathe I took was painful, every jolt the bus would hit, I felt.

We arrived back at school at twelve thirty Saturday night, it looked like the entire town was there to meet us. There were people everywhere, cars lined the streets for miles. As we pulled up and stopped, everyone rushed the bus to greet us. One by one the players filed out, I waited until last with the trainer to exit the bus. As I stepped down I saw Ashley standing near the front of the bus. I moved over to her, I could see she had tears in her eyes. She wrapped her arms around me and pulled me close to her.

“Your Dad is so proud of you Brian. You played like you were possessed, I have never seen an effort like that in my life.”, she whispered in my ear.

“Ashley, please not too tight, my ribs are broke.”, I softly said as I winced in pain.

“Broke ? You played the game with broken ribs ?”, she asked loudly.

“Shhhhhhhhh. It’s not bad, I am just really sore. It was my decision to play. They wanted to me to sit out. Just please don’t say anything to anyone.”, I begged.

I could tell by the look on her face she was not overjoyed but she promised she would keep quiet. Several people walked over to us all congratulating me for my effort and on the state record. It had been a long day, I was tired and hurting, I asked Ashley if we could leave. She agreed and pointed in the direction where she was parked. Before we could head that way Courtney and her parents walked up to us. Courtney ran up to me and jumped into my arms, wrapping hers around me. The impact about doubled me over, I almost went down to one knee.

“Brian , oh my God, what’s wrong ?”, she cried out, stepping back.

“It’s ok Court, I am just really sore.”, I answered.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t know.”, she whispered, tears forming in her eyes.

I reassured Courtney I was ok and hugged her gently. Her father stepped up and extended his hand.

“Great game Brian. You were head and shoulders better than anyone on that field. I can’t remember watching someone dominate a high school game like you just did.”, he boomed.

“Thank you Mr. Timmons.”, I replied, shaking his hand.

As we spoke for a few minutes it was clear he was as excited about the win as we were. He had been an athlete in high school and college, he loved football. Before we parted he informed us that the entire town was putting on a huge celebration in a few weeks at a large open facility just outside of town. The entire town was going to be there. We excused ourselves and headed to Ashley’s car which was a few blocks away.

We arrived home quickly, I went in my bedroom and undressed, getting ready for bed. I went to the kitchen to get a couple of pain relievers and ran into Ashley who since I wasn’t wearing a shirt, saw the bruises on my side.

“Oh God Brian, you’re hurt bad. I need to take you to the hospital right now.”, she exclaimed.

“It’s ok Ashley, I had two sets of X-Rays, they are fractured but not broke. I will be fine.”, I replied.

I went back in my room and laid down in my bed trying to unwind from the long day and all of the excitement. I laid there for a few minutes, the pain seem to intensify, my side was now throbbing. I sat back up and after a few minutes the pain did ease up a bit. I grabbed a blanket and a pillow and made my way to the family room. I sat down in the large recliner and tilted it back a little. I was able to sleep on and off for a while, mostly waking whenever I moved. Early the next morning, I felt someone’s arms around me. I opened my eyes and looked up to see Ashley looking down on me from behind the chair.

“How are you feeling?”, she asked sincerely.

“I’m ok, I just feel better sitting up then laying down.”, I replied.

Even though Ashley had been married to my Dad, the fact that she would be twenty eight a few days before I would be nineteen, in my mind every now and then, I couldn’t help but think of her as just a woman. She was always stunningly beautiful, her body was flawless and she always smelled so good. Now her hands were rubbing my shoulders and chest ever so gently, I could not help but think of things I shouldn’t.

“How about some breakfast ?”, she asked.

“Sure, sounds great.”, I answered.

We had just sat down to eat breakfast when the phone rang. Ashley got up and answered it, a strange look crossing her face. As she was talking on the phone, I heard my cell phone ringing in my bedroom. I got up and walked down the hall and picked it up. It was a long distance number which I didn’t recognize so I just ignored it. By the time I got back to the kitchen the phone was ringing again. After the second call Ashley sat down, a smile on her face.

“The first call was from Alabama, the second from Texas, they both are sending someone out here to talk to you hotshot.”, she stated.

“I just got a long distance call on my cell phone too. I wonder who that was from.”, I answered.

For the rest of the day and night the phone rang constantly, recruiters trying to set up an appointment to come out and talk to me. I had no idea what to do, I was relying heavily on my Father to handle this situation, without him this was going to be a mess. I decided to call Coach Mike and try to meet with him to get some guidance.

I met with Coach Mike after school on Monday for several hours, we laid out all of the criteria that I was looking for in the next phase of my football career. First and foremost was a great education, the chance of playing football past college was a very long shot. I also wanted to play if not close to home, near enough that coming back home was not a problem. Lastly I wanted to play hopefully, at a major college and for a program that would push me as hard as possible.

All week recruiters were filing into school in hopes to get a chance to talk to either me, Jason or Devon, all expected to get major college offers. By the end of the week it had gotten so bad, Ms. Carter decided to shut it down. She set aside our lunch period as the only time we could meet with recruiters or coaches. I had somewhat narrowed my choice down to schools in Texas, Alabama, Louisiana and Arkansas. All had great programs and all four had expressed a possibility of offering me a full or partial scholarship.

By the time Friday rolled around, I seriously needed a weekend off. I was physically and mentally exhausted, as was Ashley. We decided to unplug the house phone for the weekend, we would only answer personal cell calls. Courtney and I were just going to go out Friday night and take it easy, maybe a movie or something. When I arrived at her house to pick her up, there were cars everywhere. I had to park down the block and walk up to the house. I rang the bell and Courtney’s mother answered the door.

“Hi Brian, nice to see you honey, come on in.”, she greeted, waving her hand behind her, “Please ignore my husband, he has one of his famous all guy parties going on. They do this once or twice a year.”

“Thank you Ms. Timmons, nice to see you too.” I replied.

I followed her to the family room where several dozen men were either sitting or standing around, all drinking beer or eating. Courtney’s Dad jumped up and quickly crossed the room.

“Brian, hey come on over and meet the guys.”, he cried out.

He grabbed me by the arm and drug me into the middle of the family room excitedly, like I was his new toy.

“Guy’s this is Brian Stevens, Courtney’s boyfriend, and defensive end from our State Championship Team.”, he exclaimed.

I waved to everyone, somewhat embarrassed by my introduction, and stood quietly next to Mr. Timmons. One guy who was standing right next to us spoke up.

“Jesus H. Christ son, you’re only in high school ? I find that hard to believe.”, he stated.

“I’ll be nineteen in a few days sir, I will graduate this year.”, I answered calmly.

Everyone started asking questions all at once, I did my best to try and answer them one by one. Courtney’s mother came to my rescue after a few minutes.

“Ok, that’s enough. Brian is here to see Courtney, not entertain you old geezers.”, she said.

She grabbed me by the hand and pulled me out of the crowd and into the kitchen. She told me Courtney would be down in a few minutes, to make myself comfortable. Less than five minutes later, Courtney came down ready to go. We started out passing through the family room when her Dad called out to me.

“Wait before you go Brian, come here for a minute.”, he called out.

I looked at Courtney and shrugged my shoulders, what could I do ? I walked over to where he was standing with another man, apparently they were engaged in a friendly argument. He pulled me over to where they were standing.

“Brian, this is Steve Donnelly, he graduated from Parkview High, years ago, we made a bet. You have to settle it for us.” he roared.

“I’ll try sir.”, I answered.

“He doesn’t believe you played the entire game hurt, he says you were one hundred percent for four quarters.”, he stated.

I really did not want to get into this conversation, much less have to settle a bet. I gave some lame excuse about just having the wind knocked out of me, that it was no big deal. No one outside of our locker room and Ashley really knew the true extent of what happened.

“Brian, I know better. You’re a very polite and well mannered young man, so don’t lie to your possible future father-in-law. And do not cost me money.”, he shot back, “I know for a fact, one of your teammates told me.”

I didn’t know what to say, I really did not want to cause any problems for the school, coaching staff or the trainers. I figured I better at least try to settle it with the least possible detail I could.

“Ok, I did play three quarters with bruised ribs, no big deal.”, I answered.

Before I could say anything, Courtney’s dad reached over and pulled my tee shirt up, exposing my bruised upper torso. By now the bruising was extensive, wrapping around my chest and back.

“Oh my God.”, Courtney cried out, her hands covering her face.

“Oh damn Brian, I am so sorry son.”, Mr. Timmons said softly.

“It’s ok really, I am fine.”, I replied, pulling my shirt back down.

Courtney grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the room, which had become very noticeably quiet. We were out of the front door in a flash, walking down the street. Courtney apologized for her Dad, she told me he got carried away when it came to football. She said for the last few weeks he had been wrapped up in planning the large celebration next Saturday night that would celebrate our big win. We went down to local diner and grabbed a bite to eat, then went to the late show at the movie theatre. We got back to her house just a little after midnight, there were still several cars in the driveway. We went in and entered the family room to see her Dad, Mom and two other guys seated on the sofa talking. I sat down on the end of the large sectional, Courtney went to the kitchen to get us a glass of iced tea.

“Brian, any news on where you might be headed next fall ?”, Courtney’s mother asked.

“No mam, not yet. But I have narrowed it down to a few schools, I am waiting on offers.”, I replied.

Courtney rejoined us and we sat down and more or less followed along with the adults. It was getting late so I decided to say my goodbyes and head home. It was about one thirty in the morning when I arrived home, all the lights were out. I very quietly opened the kitchen door and went in, closing the door behind me. I pulled off my shoes as to not make any noise and wake Ashley up. As I walked down the hall towards my room, I could see Ashley’s door was slightly ajar but the light was out. As I entered my room, I heard a very faint sound come from Ashley’s room. I stopped and stool still, the house was extremely quiet. I sat down on the bed and began to take my shoes off when once again I heard a very faint noise. Once again, I sat still and listened, only this time I heard it several more times. I quietly got up and walked out in the hall towards Ashley’s room pausing at the door. I looked in the slight crack in the door and frame, I could see Ashley lying in the bed flat on her back. As I looked closer I noticed she was wearing a tee shirt and panties, her right hand was inside of her panties. She was moving her hand back and forth across her pussy, she was oblivious to everything except the feeling her fingers were giving her. I knew I shouldn’t be watching but I couldn’t help myself. I eased myself over and leaned against the door frame, my eyes fixed on Ashley’s movements. I sensed from her body movements she was getting close to an orgasm, something I really wanted to see. I shifted my weight against the door to get a slightly better view. When I did, the wood frame cracked sharply with the change in pressure. I quickly stepped away from the door and hurried down the hallway to my room. I closed the door quietly behind me and moved to my bed. I had no sooner sat down when I heard a knock on the door.

“Brian, you home ?”, Ashley said softly.

“Yes mam, you can come in.”, I replied.

The door opened and Ashley stepped in, she had put her on her robe to cover herself. Her face was still flushed, her hair disheveled. I kept my head down, taking off my shoes.

“Did you just get in ?”, she inquired.

“Yes mam, just a second ago, why ?”, I replied.

“I thought I heard something in the hallway.” she said, her eyes staring intently into mine.

“That was probably me opening my door.”, I responded, but from her demeanor, I could tell she was not buying it.

“Well…… Ok, goodnight.”, she said, slowly closing the door.

As I laid in bed that night I felt both guilty and excited at the same time. I felt bad about watching Ashley and invading her private moments alone. But another part of me was so aroused at what I had witnessed. I went back and forth in my mind until finally I drifted off to sleep. The following morning I woke about seven thirty, I could smell breakfast cooking. I got up and headed for the kitchen, Ashley was standing at the stove.

“Hey.”, she said.

“Good morning.”, I replied.

I could instantly feel a chill in the air, now I was certain Ashley suspected I had watched her last night. I really felt terrible now. Ashley had always been wonderful to me, I felt awful about embarrassing her. I thought for a while, should I bring it up or just see what happens ? I decided to just keep quiet for the time being. We pretty much ate in silence, which was extremely rare for us. I helped her clean the kitchen then went to my room to get dressed for the day.
The rest of the weekend went pretty much the same, a total awkward feeling between Ashley and I.

By early the following week, I had narrowed down my choices to three schools, Texas, Alabama and Louisiana, They were all three in the process of setting up visits for me. The phone was ringing off the hook, three different recruiters and head coaches all keeping a constant eye and ear to my movements. I had started to heal up from my injuries but I was still staying away from the gym. I had decided to take four weeks off to make sure I had completely healed and was well rested before resuming any serious weight program. Everyone in the town was excited all week about the huge celebration that was planned for this Saturday night just outside of town. We would receive our State Championship Jackets and Rings, everyone would be there.

Soon it was Friday afternoon, we were out for the weekend. Courtney and I had planned an evening out tonight. I got to her house about seven o’clock, she was ready to go. One of her friends was having a party at her house, a few dozen people would be there. We arrived about eight o’clock, it looked like a bigger than expected crowd. One of Courtney’s best friends, Jasmin was hosting the party. She was one of the head cheerleaders for our school, as well as a very talented basketball player on the girl’s varsity. She was a very light skinned black girl, her complexion made her appear to be more Latin than African American. She was about 5’11, one hundred twenty five pounds with a very fit, athletic body. She had a beautiful face, with long straight jet black hair.

She greeted us at the door and invited us in. Most everyone at the party went to school with us or had recently graduated. I am really not big on these types of events. It always seems someone drinks too much, the wrong thing is said, then people want to fight. I guess we had been there for about an hour when I noticed Courtney mixing a drink at the table. I had never seen Courtney drink alcohol before so I was surprised to say the least. When she finally made her way back to where I was sitting, I confronted her.

“Since when do you drink ?”, I asked.

“Oh God Brian, it’s one drink. Chill out.”, she replied exasperated.

I didn’t say anything more, but I noticed her back at the liquor table several more times that night. By the time we left, I could tell she was not her normal self. I was really quite put off, I didn’t want her parents getting upset with me, thinking I had anything to do with it. She could tell on the way home, I was not too happy. By the time we arrived at her house, it was close to two in the morning. All the lights were out in the house, I pulled into the driveway along side the large house. Almost as soon as I turned the key to the off position in the ignition, Courtney slid over in her seat. She reached over and pulled me close to her, her mouth pressing to mine. I could still taste the alcohol on her lips and tongue, very bitter and sharp. Her hand immediately reached down and began to squeeze my cock through my jeans. I could tell the alcohol had just about wiped away any inhibitions she may have had, Courtney was never this aggressive.

She reached down and quickly unzipped my pants, pulling out my hardening cock. She didn’t hesitate for a second, she lowered her head in my lap and sucked my cock deep into her mouth. She had never did anything even remotely close to this before, I was somewhat stunned. In a matter of seconds, her lips and tongue had my cock rock hard and throbbing. She continued to bob her head up and down on my cock, her lips sucking me relentlessly. I knew I was just about to cum, I was not going to be able to hold back.

“Court, baby…….. I’m gonna cum.”, I whispered.

“Nooooooooooooo,”, she cried, releasing my cock from her mouth.

She got up and looked me square in the eyes as her hand continued to stroke my cock slowly. He reached her other hand down between her legs and began to rub herself through her jeans. She leaned in close, gave me a quick kiss, her tongue licking my lips as she pulled away.

“I want you to fuck me, Brian. Right now.”, she whimpered.

“Court, I can’t. I don’t have any thing with me, we can’t take that chance.”, I warned her.

“It’s ok Brian, you can pull out of me before you cum.”, she urged.

My Dad had warned me about this exact thing a few years before. In fact this is what he and my mother had did years ago, she came up pregnant anyway.

“I can’t Court, no way. I will get a condom for next time ok ?”, I asked.

“God dammit Brian, you’re more like a Dad than a boyfriend. I want to fuck now, come on.”, she said.

“Sorry Court, I can’t. I have too much riding on my future to make a mistake now.”, I answered softly.

“Your future ? So I am not part of your future ? Thanks a lot, Brian.”, she snapped sharply.

“Court, that’s not what I mean. We can’t do this right now, no way.”, I shot back.

“Fine, be an asshole Brian.”, she spat at me, flinging open the truck door, and jumping out.

She ran up the steps quickly and unlocked the door. Before I could get out, she went in, slamming the door behind her. I stood there for a few minutes, thinking she would come back out and least say goodnight, but she never did. I walked back to my truck, pulled out of the drive and went home. I grabbed a Coke out of the refrigerator and went and sat down in the family room. I was just sitting there in the dark, when I heard Ashley behind me.

“What’s wrong Brian.”, she asked.

“Nothing.”, I replied quickly.

“Brian, what’s wrong ?”, she asked.

“Courtney and I had a fight, no big deal.”, I responded.

“You want to talk about it ?”, she asked, “I can give you a female’s point of view.”

“No, thank you……. I am going to bed.”, I answered.

I had a hard time falling asleep that night, I really had never saw this side of Courtney before. Perhaps it was the alcohol that was talking, I had never seen her drink that much, that had to be it.

I woke up early Saturday morning and went to the gym, it felt good to be working out again, I was beginning to get lazy. I got back home about eleven that morning, Ashley was out shopping. So I took a long shower and changed clothes. The State Championship Celebration would be tonight, the entire town was buzzing with excitement. The celebration was scheduled to begin at four in the afternoon and would last until midnight.

I still had not heard from Courtney, so I decided to call her and ask what time she wanted me to pick her up. Her cell phone rang three times, she picked up.

“Hello”, she said in a very dry tone.

“Hey Court, I just wanted to know what time to pick you up this evening ?”, I asked.

“Uh… I am going to ride with Jasmin and Kelly. I guess I will see you there.”, she shot back, a certain chill was in the air.

“Oh, ok. I will see you there then.”, I replied.

I left the house about four thirty and drove to the outskirts of town where the huge event had been set up. When I arrived police officers were guiding cars into a parking area in an open field. There were well over a hundred vehicles already there and a long line behind me to get in. I parked and started to make my way toward where the stage, music and food were setup. As I made my way through the crowd, I was continually congratulated on our historic season. I saw a few guys from the team huddled together with a few girls, I made my way over there. I guess I had been there for about thirty minutes before I saw Courtney, Jasmin and Kelly across the fields from where I was standing. Two guys from our school were standing with them. One was Kelly’s boyfriend, the other I was not sure of. I made my way over to where they were standing, everyone greeted me warmly, except Courtney. I was beginning to get a bit tired of Courtney’s attitude, I had done nothing to deserve this other than to think about both of our futures. I decided to play along for a while longer, see what happened. As I was talking to Jasmin, I noticed Courtney and the guy that was standing next to her walk off towards the food booths that were at the far end of the field. He was a baseball player named Darren, I knew who he was, but we never really spoke. Everyone else noticed too, both Kelly and Jasmin gave me a funny look. I shrugged it off and kept talking to Jasmin, I was not going to let Courtney ruin my night.

I walked toward the food booth’s myself to get a drink, I ran into Courtney’s Mom and Dad, her Dad had put this event together. He pulled me to the side and spoke quietly.

“Brian, what’s wrong. Why is Courtney with this other guy ?”, he asked with concern in his voice.

“I don’t know Mr. Timmons, I guess she is mad at me.”, I replied.

“You guys get into a fight ?”, he inquired.

“Not really sir. We had a disagreement about something. I didn’t think it was serious at the time but maybe it is.”, I answered.

I walked over to the drink booth and grabbed a Coke, I turned to head back to where I was. I noticed a bunch of students over by a cluster of trees, Courtney and Darren were there with them. I could see someone with a bottle of whiskey pouring shots into the Coke cups, everyone was lining up. I walked back to where Jasmin and Kelly were, we resumed our conversation. About seven that night, the awards celebration started, Ms. Carter was hosting the event. She introduced Coach Mike who took the stage and gave a short speech recalling our memorable season. He then called each one of the players up to the stage and one by one, presented us with our State Championship Jacket and Ring. Once the entire team was on stage, pictures were taken as a group. We all exited the stage and made our way back to where we were standing. Ms. Carter once again stepped up to the microphone and took charge.

“Ok everyone, please settle down. We have a couple of special gifts we want to present at this time.”, she said.

She motioned to several of the faculty that was behind the stage to start coming forward, one at a time. The first teacher came up the stage carrying a full size football in a clear square display case. I knew what this was, all the members of the team had signed a football for Coach Mike several weeks ago.

“First and foremost, to Coach Mike, who has done a wonderful job this year in lieu of extraordinary circumstances. We would like to present you with this small token of our appreciation for your efforts.”, she said, turning and motioning him to join her.

Coach Mike joined Ms. Carter on the stage, they hugged briefly and he accepted his gift with much thanks to all. She then turned back into the microphone, her familiar voice once again resonating through the public address system.

“Next, I want to give an honor to a senior who epitomizes this year’s struggle for the State Championship. He has been the anchor of this team for the past two years and has played through some unforgiving circumstances. I would like to ask Brian Stevens to join me on stage please.”, she said, scanning the crowd.

Everyone was cheering as I slowly walked up towards the stage. I saw Ashley right in front, a huge smile on her face. I slowly climbed the stairs to the stage and joined Ms. Carter near the microphone. We were also joined by two teachers who were holding a large, thin square object, draped in a sheet.

“This is the first time in the history of this town, this type of award has ever been given. Brian, I am so excited to be able to tell you that we have decided to retire your jersey forever in tribute to your efforts since you have been with us. This is your’s, however an exact duplicate of this will hang in our gym for all to see.”, she shouted.

The teachers removed the drape and their was my home jersey,
# 99, framed with an eight by ten action photo of me during one of the games. I had won a few awards up to date but nothing even came close to this. Everyone was applauding loudly as I stepped forward and accepted the award, Ms. Carter hugged me tightly, then stepped back to the microphone.

“Any idea whose jersey you will be wearing next year Brian ?”, she asked coyly with a devilish grin.

I quickly shook my head no, the crowd erupted into laughter. Ms. Carter then instructed the crowd to enjoy the rest of the evening, then walked me off the stage. As soon as I stepped down Ashley was there hugging me as well. She whispered that she was going to call it an evening but that she would take my award so it got home safely. I walked her to her car, loaded the frame carefully and made my way back to the crowd. I sought out Courtney’s Dad, I knew he had a lot to do with this evening’s festivities. I found him with his wife and a few of the other faculty members.

“Mr. Timmons, I want to thank you for the award. It really means a lot to me, it will always hang wherever I call home.”, I said softly.

“You’re quite welcome Brian. You deserve it son, you’re an incredible football player and a fine young man.”, he replied shaking my hand.

I went back to the group, accepting congratulations from Kelly, Jasmin and everyone else. I noticed that Courtney had rejoined the group but she was still with Darren, in fact I noticed they were holding hands until I walked up, when she pulled away quickly. I had just about had enough of this situation, I decided to attempt to talk to Courtney, try to sort this out. Courtney was holding a conversation with Kelly and from her loud voice and uncontrollable laughter, it appeared that once again she may have had a bit too much to drink. I found it strange that she would drink with her parents so close, she was never a reckless type of person. I moved slowly in her direction, she was still talking to Kelly intently, she never saw me come up behind her.

“Court, can we talk for a second ?”, I asked, gently touching her arm.

She whirled around, her eyes foggy, her gaze cutting through me like a knife. I noticed that Darren had become very uncomfortable all of a sudden, this was the closest we had stood up to this point.

“Why ? What’s the point of talking. I like to have a good time, you don’t.”, she spat at me.

Everyone was looking down very subconsciously, this was an extremely awkward moment. I decided to try one more time to reason with Courtney, we had been together for quite some time.

“Courtney, you know why I did what I did. It has nothing to do with having a good time.”, I replied.

“Look Brian, I’m trying to have fun and as usual you want to be serious. You will never change, neither will I. Get over it, ok ?”, she shot back in a sarcastic tone.

I have to admit, I was stunned that she blew me off so casually. I turned and walked back to where I had been standing next to Jasmin, the crowd was awkwardly silent. It took a few minutes for the group to get back to normal, it was aided by the fact that Courtney and Darren and a few others took a walk toward their secluded drinking area. Jasmin pulled me by the arm away from the others, quietly whispering to me.

“I’m so sorry Brian. What the hell is wrong with her ?”, she asked.

“It’s a long story Jasmin. I really don’t want to get into it.”, I answered.

“Is it because you wouldn’t sleep with her ?”, she asked quietly.

Well I guess I was the only one who was keeping our disagreement private. If Jasmin knew about it, I was guessing a lot of other people did as well. I really was disappointed in Courtney, I thought I knew her a lot better than this.

“That’s part of it I guess.”, I replied.

“So she is dumping on you for treating her with respect, I can’t figure that out.”, she said, shaking her head.

We talked for a few more moments before rejoining the group. By that time, Courtney and Darren had returned, I am guessing with fresh drink in hand. Courtney was now hanging all over him, I am guessing she figured our breakup was official now. I tried to act as casual as I could but the truth is it hurt a lot. I stayed around for a few minutes, then excused myself to go get another Coke. Half way to the food area, I decided against it, it was time to leave. I made my way to the parking lot, got in my truck and headed home. As I laid in bed that night, I thought about my Father, the advice he had always given me. He was always insistent that a man treat a woman like a lady at all times, no exceptions what so ever. I thought had did just that, apparently something had went wrong.

By the time we started school the following week, the news of what happened had traveled full circle throughout the school. When I got back home Monday night after working out, Ashley brought up the subject during dinner.

“Brian, I’m sure you know there’s a lot of talk going around school about you and Courtney. Want to tell me what really happened ?”, she asked.

“Not really.”, I said.

“Well if what I heard is true and I think it is, you have absolutely nothing to apologize for. Did she really want you to have sex with
her ?”, she asked.

This was great. If it wasn’t bad enough everyone at school wanted to know what had happened, now it was Ashley’s turn. I figured I might as well end it as quickly as I could.

“Yes, I refused. That and the drinking thing was the issue. I guess in some ways she is right. I am boring to be with.”, I answered.

“Oh please Brian, because you’re not irresponsible and foolish she dumps you ? Most women are looking for exactly the type of guy you are. It’s her loss Brian.”, she continued.

“I’m ok Ashley, really, just let it go.”, I asked.

“I just don’t want you to beat yourself up over this. Believe me the right woman will love you for the qualities you have.”, she ended.

I helped Ashley clean up after dinner, we watched TV for a while then I went to bed. The rest of the week was pretty much the same, by Friday our breakup was almost old news. High school was like that, everyday was a new day, new gossip was always just around the corner. By the end of the week Courtney and Darren were apparently an established couple as well. I decided to concentrate on selecting a school that I wanted to attend the following year. I had upcoming visits scheduled, life was going to be every busy the next two months.

I quickly settled down into a routine of working out twice a day and going to school. I was back on a eight week cycle of anabolic’s and HGH, I wanted to be in excellent shape for my visits. I scheduled my first trip to a school in Texas, following up the next week to Alabama. I had a week off before my next trip, that was to a university in Louisiana. Both of my first visits had went well, although nothing had really stood out at either school. While they both had great facilities for athletes, I more or less came away with the feeling that I was just another athlete they were trying to land, if they did fine, if not they would just move on.

Ashley drove me to the bus stop Thursday night for my last official visit, I would arrive there early in the morning. I had no sooner stepped off of the bus in the terminal when a man came up to me introducing himself as one of the assistant coaches and welcomed me warmly. As we drove toward campus he asked me a lot of questions, all were about me and what I wanted to get out of college. We arrived on campus and ushered me to the athletic compound, a sprawling area which was reserved exclusively for athletes and their training. It was extremely impressive, everyone was very friendly. After spending three days on campus with coaches, players and trainers, there was little doubt in my mind, I would play here for the next four years.
I arrived back home and was back in class on Tuesday morning, I had thirty seven days to commit to one of the three schools, or go against conventional wisdom and choose a school I had not visited.

I took the next month and thought about all three schools carefully and eliminated the school in Alabama from contention. I would either go to Texas or Louisiana, with the latter having the edge at this time. I was being called every day by both schools, each trying to get a leg up on the other.

By now Courtney and Darren were one of the elite couples at school, I had not dated nor shown any interest in anyone else, nor did I plan to. I would be leaving in a few months, no use in getting involved with anyone at this point. Soon the day to sign was here, I would make my decision at a ceremony in the gym at ten o’clock in the morning, the entire school would be present. Jason and Devon would also choose their schools as well, both receiving numerous offers.

As I entered the gym that morning, it was quite the scene. All the local media was there, including some larger out of town stations. Coaches from at least a dozen universities were represented, as well as teachers, students and parents. Devon, Jason and I were seated at two large tables that were joined, in front of us were hats to the universities that had offered us scholarships. When your time came, you simply would reach over, select the hat from the school you wished to attend, then placed it on your head.

Jason started the process out, taking his time, then selecting a large in-state university, about a hundred miles from town. Everyone applauded loudly as Jason signed his letter of intent, camera’s rolling following his very move. Devon was next, he had four offers, he was very sought after. Devon played with an attitude, he was the kind of guy you like to have in your huddle. Not once did I ever see him back down from anyone. As was Devon’s style, he played the crowd awhile before selecting his school, a major university in Florida.

Now all eye’s were focused on me, I saw the Louisiana and Texas coaches pacing nervously. I had kept my decision pretty much to myself, even Ashley was not one hundred percent sure of where I would be going. There was a hush that fell across the crowd, everyone was staring at me waiting for my next move. As I looked up into the crowd, I could see Courtney sitting by Kelly and Jasmin, I wondered what she was thinking. I waited a few more seconds, pushed my chair backwards and stood up. I reached over and grabbed the Louisiana hat, placing it quickly on my head. Camera flashes began going off, people were cheering wildly, everyone rushing forward. The coach from Louisiana made his way through the crowd and extended his hand to me.

“You made an excellent choice Brian, you will never regret it.”, he said.

After the three of us had committed to our respective schools, life got back to normal for us. School was almost over for us, we would graduate in less than two months. Everyone was excited, looking forward to their new lives as young adults. I continued to workout with a passion twice a day and concentrating on school work. We were only three weeks away from graduating, final exams were right around the corner. Seniors were getting out of class early due to exams, so I was going to the library on campus and studying for two hours before heading off to the gym. I was in the library cramming for my first exam which was math on Thursday, the exam was Monday, when one of Courtney’s friends, Jasmin walked up to the table where I was sitting.

“Hey Brian, mind if I join you ?”, she asked quietly.

“No not at all, have a seat.”, I urged.

She sat down and opened her books and began to read to herself. Once or twice when I looked up, I noticed she was looking at me. I just smiled and went back to reading my text book and taking notes. About four thirty I began to pack up my book bag to head to the gym. I noticed that Jasmin was picking her things up as well, we both walked out together. When we got outside of the library, Jasmin turned to me and smiled.

“Uh Brian…… are you….. um, going to the prom ?”, she asked nervously.

Now as I had mentioned before Jasmin was one of the cheerleaders at the school and she was extremely good looking. She was a very light skinned African American girl, with long straight, jet black hair. She had been dating the captain of the basketball team for years, in fact he was the only guy I have ever seen her with. I figured Courtney had put her up to asking to see if I was dating anyone yet.

“No, I’m not going Jasmin. Never gave it a thought really.”, I answered quickly.

“Why not ?”, she inquired, like she was surprised.

“Well honestly, I have not dated anyone since Courtney and since I am leaving in a few months for college, why bother ? It’s no big deal really, I’ll live if I miss the prom.”, I replied.

We continued walking down the sidewalk towards the parking lot in silence there after. When we got close to my truck, Jasmin turned to me once again.

“Brian, could you drop me off at home, I don’t have a ride.”, she asked.

“Sure Jasmin, hop in.”, I answered, pointing to the truck.

I knew where Jasmin lived, I had attended a party at her house once, it was really on my way home. As we pulled out of the parking lot, I saw Kelly, Courtney’s best friend getting into her car, I know she saw Jasmin and I. We were a few blocks from Jasmin’s house when she once again spoke up.

“Um…. Brian, can I ask you something ?”, she stammered.

“Sure.”, I answered.

“Well since you don’t have anyone to go to the prom with, would you like to go with me ?”, she asked, swallowing hard at the end of the sentence.

“I thought you were dating, what’s his name from the basketball team.”, I inquired.

“We broke up about six weeks ago, he was fooling around on me and I caught him.”, she answered.

“Oh, I didn’t know that. I’m sorry to hear it. That seems to be going around lately.”, I shot back.

“So what do you think ?”, she asked, once more.

“Geez, I really don’t know Jasmin, I mean what would your parents think if you brought me home ?”, I said nervously.

“They would be fine with it Brian. And to be truthful, I have had a crush on you for the last two years.”, she said softly, looking down at her lap.

“I don’t know Jasmin, I really don’t. I mean I leave for school in a few months, I don’t want to give anyone the wrong idea. Let’s both think about it and talk again tomorrow ok ?”, I suggested.

“That sounds good.”, she answered quickly.

I dropped Jasmin off at her house and continued home arriving at the same time Ashley did. I changed clothes and went to the gym, getting in a good two hour workout. I was back to the best shape I have ever been in. My weight was at two hundred eighty eight pounds, I was pushing more weight than ever before. My body fat was down to about eight percent, despite the massive caloric intake I was on.

That night at dinner, I decided to ask Ashley’s opinion about the day’s previous situation that had arisen. With my head still down in my plate I fired off a question.

“Someone asked me to the prom today. I’m just not sure if it’s a good idea to go or not.”

“Who asked you to the prom ?”, Ashley asked excitedly.

“Jasmin Thomas, I drove her home today.”, I answered, looking up to see what Ashley’s reaction would be.

“Jasmin is a beautiful young lady, why would you be reluctant to go with her ?”, she inquired.

“Well you know this is still a small town and all, a lot of people here are not very open minded to such things.”, I answered.

“That’s their problem Brian, not yours. You do what you want, but I think if you pass up your prom you will regret it one day.”, she ended.

I went to bed early that night, tossed and turned for quite a while before falling asleep. I woke early the next morning and dressed for school, then sat down with Ashley for breakfast.

“So you made a decision about the prom hotshot ?”, she asked.

“Yes mam. I think I am going to go.”, I responded.

“That’s wonderful, I am so glad to hear that. Anything you need you just ask.”, she offered.

I drove to school that morning anticipating meeting up with Jasmin, I just hoped that maybe she had not changed her mind. I saw her in second period, she sat a few rows over from me. I walked over to where she was sitting and knelt down next to her. I asked if she was still serious about her offer. She answered she was, so we agreed to go together. We decided to talk more after school about all of the details. During lunch break I walked over to where Ashley was sitting and told her the news, she seemed elated.

I met Jasmin after school, once again driving her home taking that time to talk about the upcoming event. She informed me she had already told her parents that she had asked me to go, they both were fine with it. I have to admit, that news did relieve me somewhat. The only snag was that both of Jasmin’s parents wanted to meet me before we went out for the first time. I could understand that, but still I was nervous. Jasmin suggested that maybe we should go out to a movie or something before the prom to get any awkwardness out of the way, I could also meet her parents at the same time. It sounded like a viable solution, so I agreed to take her out the next night, which was Saturday. I dropped her off at her house and made my way directly to the gym for my evening workout.

I was extremely nervous all the next day, knowing the meeting with Jasmin’s parents was looming that evening. I arrived at her house about six thirty that evening and slowly walked to the front door. I rang the bell and waited, her Father opening the door and stepping out.

“Hello Mr. Thomas, I’m Brian Stevens, I am here to see Jasmin.”, I said nervously.

“I know who you are son. I have watched you play for the last three years, Jasmine’s a cheerleader so her Mother and I never miss a game.”, he responded, “Please come in.”

I stepped into his home, he closed the door behind me and ushered me into the family room where his wife was sitting reading a book. I could see where Jasmin’s good looks came from, her Mother was a very attractive woman.

“Honey, you know Brian, he is here to see Jasmin.”, he told his wife.

Jasmin’s mother laid her book down, stood up and extended her hand to me.

“Hello Brian. We have never formally met but I have watched you play many times. It’s so nice to finally meet you. And I must say you are a lot bigger up close and personal than you appear to be from the stadium seats.”, she stated, greeting me warmly.

“Thank you mam, it’s very nice to meet you as well.”, I replied.

They asked me to have a seat, Ms. Thomas stepping out of the room to let Jasmin know I was here to pick her up. I squirmed nervously on the sofa, feeling somewhat uncomfortable.

“So when you have to report to school Brian ? You must be excited about the upcoming season and all.”, Mr. Thomas asked.

“I’m not sure sir, I am supposed to get everything in the mail soon. I do know I will not play next year, they are going to red shirt me.”, I answered.

“That’s common Brian, don’t let it bother you. It will give you time to acclimate to college life before throwing you to the wolves, so to speak.”, he went on to tell me.

“That’s basically what they told me too sir.”, I answered.

“Brian, as much as this is not a problem for Jasmin’s Mother and I, you must be aware that there are people in this town that will have a problem with you and Jasmin dating. It’s easy to say you’re not racist, much harder to live it.”, he said calmly.

“I thought of that Mr. Thomas, we both did. But it’s really just going to be for a very short time. I go to school soon and if I have learned one thing this year, current gossip becomes old gossip very quickly sir.”, I answered.

“Yes, that’s true. Jasmin somewhat told me about how Courtney was treating you. I must say, it’s refreshing to hear of a young person standing their ground refusing to cave in to peer pressure. Frankly, I am shocked at Courtney’s behavior, she has been here many times.”, he ended.

“Courtney’s a very nice girl Mr. Thomas, I think she is just with some people who like to party a little too much.”, I finished.

By that time Jasmin had made her way into the room with her mother, both of them catching the last bits of the conversation. I looked up at Jasmin standing next to her mother, she looked extremely attractive. She had on a pair of very tight jeans, with a tight knit top. Her hair was pulled back into a pony tail, she had just a little makeup on, this was a look I had never seen before.

“You ready to go ?”, she asked with a smile.

“Sure am.”, I answered, getting up from the sofa.

I turned to Jasmin’s Dad and extended my hand making sure he knew I respected him.

“It was very nice to meet you sir, thank you. I will have her home early.”, I promised.

“We are not worried Brian, we have heard nothing but good things about you son.”, he said, shaking my hand.

I have to admit that Mr. Thomas’ statements proved very true as I knew they would. However I did not expect to see it so quickly. We had no sooner arrived at the local theatre, we were in line to get tickets when I noticed several older people eyeing us up. You could see by the look on their face they did not approve of Jasmin and I being together. I’m not sure if Jasmin noticed, I tried to make small talk to keep her preoccupied. I purchased the tickets, we got two Cokes and a large popcorn from the concession stand and entered the theatre. We were walking up the ramp towards the back rows then I saw Kelly and her boyfriend sitting on the end of the aisle, right in front of us. I could tell from the look on Kelly’s face, she was stunned to see us together. They said hello as we passed them and headed up to the back row. We found two seats in the middle and sat down, it was not very crowded. Jasmin leaned over to me and whispered in my ear.

“I’m really sorry Brian, I am guessing before the end of the night, Courtney will know we were together.”, she said softly.

“It’s ok Jasmin. She dumped me remember ?”, I answered.

That seemed to reassure her somewhat, she leaned back in her seat. The movie was pretty good, we both enjoyed it. It was about nine thirty when the movie let out, we decided to grab a burger and fries before going home. We got to the diner about ten, it was packed. It seemed like half the school was inside, there was a line waiting for a table. We got in line, it took about thirty minutes to be seated. By the time we were shown to our booth, I’m sure we would be the talk of the school on Monday. Everyone kept looking at us, you could tell they were all wondering what the hell was going on.

I could tell Jasmin had noticed, she seemed somewhat uncomfortable as she nervously scanned the crowd. I reached over and touched her hand softly causing her to turn to me.

“Jasmin, ignore it, it’s their problem not ours. Don’t let other people ruin the evening, just have fun.”, I urged.

She did just that. For close to two hours we sat and talked, laughed and generally cut up, having a good time. We left the diner just after eleven to head back to her house. We arrived there about eleven thirty, I pulled into her drive way.

“Thanks Brian, I had a good time tonight. You really make me feel comfortable, like you don’t expect anything from me.”, she told me.

“I had a good time too Jasmin.”, I replied.

“Look, call me Jazzy, everyone else does.”, she asked.

“Ok, I will.”, I responded, opening my door.

I walked around my truck, opening the door for Jasmin, letting her out. I walked her to the front door, where she paused to fish her keys from her pocket. With keys in hand she turned to me and stepped close, putting her arms around my waist and stepping up on her toes. I leaned down and pressed my lips to hers softly. For close to a minute, we kissed softly, slowly with no urgency. Without a doubt Jasmin was the absolute best kisser I had ever experienced. Her lips were thick and moist, she ever so briefly teased me with her tongue. By the time she pulled away from me, my heart was racing. She once again wished me goodnight as she stepped inside of her house.

I could tell by the time the bell rang for homeroom Monday morning, everybody who was anybody had already heard about Jasmin and I being out on Saturday night. As I sat down in homeroom I could feel the eyes on me, actually it was kind of funny. I had my next class with both Jasmin and Courtney, I figured it would be interesting to say the least. I was one of the first to arrive, so I sat down and began to get organized for the class. Within a few moments class had filled up, our teacher arrived settling everyone down. As I glanced towards the opposite side of the room I caught Courtney staring at me. She had a blank look on her face, so it was difficult to judge what she had on her mind. Soon we were headed for our lunch period, all of the seniors ate at the same time. I was late getting to the cafeteria, so everyone was pretty much served and seated by the time I got in line. I paid for my lunch and as I turned to scan the room for a seat, I saw Jasmin waved at me, motioning me to join her. I moved quickly across the room and sat down directly across from her. It seemed the entire cafeteria was intently focusing on us and what we were doing. I happen to notice one of our teachers, Mr. Higgins, watching us as well. I went back to my conversation with Jasmin and thought nothing of it. Later that day upon arriving in Mr. Higgins’ physics class, he pulled me on the side away from the rest of the class.

“Brian, do you really think it’s a good idea for you to be seeing Jasmin Thomas in a social setting ?”, he asked, very quietly.

“We are just friends Mr. Higgins, it’s no big deal.”, I answered.

“It’s a big deal to a lot of people Brian. I wouldn’t want to see you ruin your record here when you’re this close to graduating.”, he warned.

“How could I ruin my record by dating Jasmin ? Are you serious Mr. Higgins ?”, I shot back in a no nonsense tone.

“Ok, Ok Brian, I was just trying to be helpful.”, he answered, walking back to his desk.

It really surprised me that one of our own teachers could have such a narrow minded view of things. But then again, I had learned that a lot of people pretend to be something they are not in public, but deep down they are completely the opposite. By the time school let out on Friday, the prom was just about the only thing everyone was talking about. It would be held next Saturday night in the next town over at a large hotel, they had a huge ballroom. There was nothing in our town big enough, unless you wanted to use the gym, which was the old stand by. Everyone had agreed to use the hotel, even though it would be more expensive.

Jasmin and I decided to drive into the other town early Friday evening just to get an idea where everything was and to look around. We had dinner at a local restaurant, then drove around the town for a while. About eight thirty we headed back home, both of us finalizing our plans for the big event. We were only a few minutes from town when Jasmin spoke up quietly, her voice cracking.

“Hey…. We are almost at the lake….You want to….. Um, stop and talk… or something.”, she stammered.

I looked over at her, she was looking down into her lap, wringing her hands out as she spoke. I could sense she was somewhat embarrassed to have brought up the subject. I reached over and took her hand in mine.

“Jazzy, you don’t have to do anything that makes you feel uncomfortable. I am fine with things the way they are, really.”, I replied.

“No, I know that Brian. I mean I really want to spend some time alone, if that’s ok with you.”, she responded.

“Sure, but we can leave anytime you want to, just say the word.”, I promised her.

The area by the lake was off the main highway into town. You had to take a small dirt road about a mile back into a wooded area that opened on the water’s edge. It had long been the local make out spot for the entire school, although I had never really been there myself. I made my way slowly down the road and we soon arrived at the lake. There was only one car there, it was parked on the other side of the water, several hundred yards away, so we had complete privacy. I parked the truck and turned off the lights, reached down and pushed the bench seat as far back as it could go. For close to twenty minutes we just talked about the upcoming prom and what our plans were. Then came the awkward silence that this type of situation brings when two people do not know each other well. Finally Jasmin broke the silence.

“Brian, if you’re uncomfortable being here with me, we can go.”, she offered.

“Why would I be uncomfortable with you Jazzy ? Don’t be silly.”, I answered.

She leaned over towards me taking my arm and pulling me towards her slightly. I moved over on the seat until I was right next to her, my arm around her shoulders. She tilted her head up towards me, giving me the impression she wanted to be kissed. I leaned down and placed my lips softly on hers as I pulled her close to me with my arm. As I stated before, Jasmin was an unbelievable kisser, within minutes she had my blood boiling. She would tease me with her tongue, never really giving me full access, just brief touches, leaving me wanting so much more. As we continued to kiss passionately, I felt Jasmin’s hand on the inside of my thigh, her touch extremely light, as if she were not sure of what to do. I let my left hand slide down to her waist, my finger’s stroking her side just above the waist line of her jeans. I could feel Jasmin’s body moving under me, I was not the only one feeling this way. I was so worked up I hadn’t even noticed that Jasmin’s hand had somehow worked it’s way up my leg, I felt what had to be the tips of her fingers running up and down the zipper of my jeans. First her touch was extremely light, almost unnoticeable. Slowly though, I could feel her fingers pressing in a firmer, less delicate manner. I slid my left hand down her side to the front of her jeans, where I softly rubbed her through the thick denim fabric. We finally separated our lips from one another, both of us needing to come up for air. Jasmin laid her head on my shoulder, whispering softly into my ear.

“That feels so good, please don’t stop.”, she moaned softly.

With her soft whispered encouragement, I eased my hand up from between her legs to the top button of her jeans. Sensing no protest, I quickly unbuttoned them, sliding the zipper down as far as it would go. Once again she leaned up to me and pressed her lips to mine in a soft, moist kiss. I moved my hand back up to the waistband of her panties, easing my fingers inside the sheer, silky material. I felt her inhale deeply allowing my hand to slide deep into her panties, her stomach contracting with her breathe. My fingers moved through a small patch of silky smooth hair, coming to rest between two full, very wet folds. She let out a soft moan, the sound resonating into my hungry mouth. Using one finger, I began to trace her opening in a very slow, up and down motion. She once again pulled her lips from mine, burying her face into my shoulder, moaning softly. I continued to move my finger up and down her soaked pussy, pausing for a moment on the up movement to stroke her clit.

“Brian, I was doing this to myself the other night, thinking about you.”, she whimpered in my ear.

I jumped back quickly, startled by her revelation and honesty. She looked at me with those big brown eyes.

“You were ? Really ?”, I answered.

“Oh, maybe I should not have told you that.”, she stuttered, putting her hands over her face.

“No, no Jazzy. I am glad you did. I…. well, I always …kinda…wanted to see a girl do that. I think it’s very hot.”, I stammered.

“You do ?”, she whispered hoarsely, her eyes locked into mine.

“Uh huh”, was all I could muster.

“You want to watch me now ?”, she asked in a deep breathe.

“Oh yea.”, I replied quickly.

With no further coaxing, the dark skinned Jasmin slid back on the seat, increasing the distance between us. She lifted herself off of the seat slightly and pulled her jeans down to just above her knees. She was wearing a pair of jade green panties that were cut high in the legs, the waistband was trimmed in lace. She slowly slid her right hand inside of her panties, until her fingers were between the two thick folds of her pussy. She looked back up at me, her eyes filled with passion, her inhibitions tossed aside.

“You like this ?”, she asked, as I watched her hand move inside her panties.

“Oh yea.”, I answered.

With that said, she reached over and pulled her panties to one side, exposing for the first time, her gorgeous pussy, Her lips were full, meaty and almost dark brown in color. The contrast of her soft, light pink insides were stunning. I could see her juices covering her dark skinned thighs, her fingers easing inside her opening. By now my cock was aching, straining against the fabric of my jeans. She moved her fingers up to her clit and began to stroke herself in a manner that suggested she had done this many, many times before. In less than a commanded, motioning to my crotch with her eyes.

“You want me to….um…. “, I asked, embarrassed.

“Yea, I want to see you jerk off, just for me.”, she interrupted.

I took a deep breathe, looked her dead in the eyes and I knew she was serious. I slowly reached down and began to unbuckle my belt. Her eyes traveled down to my hand, her finger increasing it’s tempo between her legs. I unbuttoned my jeans and unzipped them giving my throbbing cock some relief. I lifted myself up slightly and slid my jeans down my thighs, then settled back down reaching inside my shorts. Her eyes were locked on my hand as I pulled my cock out for the first time. I saw a smile cross her face, as her eyes moved up to mine. I began to slowly stroke myself up and down, my fingers wrapped around my swollen cock.

“Now that’s better isn’t it ?”, she asked in a deep husky voice.

I just nodded as I continued to stroke myself all the while watching her finger rubbing herself in a methodical manner. I could feel my balls tightening up, I knew that I was not going to be able to last a long time at this pace. I slowed my stroking down, trying to enjoy the moment, hoping to make it last.

“What’s wrong ?”, she asked, smiling.

“I don’t want to get off too quick.”, I responded.

“I want you to cum with me, at the same time.”, she asked.

“Ok, I will try.”, I replied.

She resumed a quick, almost frantic pace, her hips bucking against her hand, her tongue licking her lips. I resumed my pace as well, my hand gripping my cock tightly just under the head. I looked into Jasmin’s face and I sensed she was very, very close. She quickly nodded to me several times, then looked down at her hand which was now flying across her pussy. I began to relentlessly pump my cock, I knew she was ready. Suddenly she arched her back, her head flung back, her mouth open, her body shaking.

“Nowwwwwwwwwwwww, nowwwwwwwwwwww.”, she cried out.

That was all it took. I looked back at her and her eyes were glued to my cock as her body was shaking and convulsing, riding wave after wave of pleasure. I felt the first stream of semen leap from my cock and shoot into the air. Several more ropes blasted from the end of my cock, spraying the interior of the truck. The sight of my thick, white cum sent her reeling into a second, quick powerful orgasm, unintelligible sounds coming from her throat. I continued to pump my cock, the remaining semen flowing over my hand and on to my thighs. I leaned back against the seat my mind reeling from my explosive orgasm, trying to catch my breath. I felt Jasmin’s hand on my cock, moving mine away, her fingers wrapping around my shaft. She began to slowly stroke me, milking the last few drops of cum that were remaining in my shaft. She leaned over and kissed me gently, her tongue parting my lips and probing my mouth. She continued to kiss me deeply as she pumped my cock in steady rhythm, her hand gripping me with just the right pressure. She pulled away from my lips, her eyes once again locked on mine.

“You ok ?”, she giggled.

“Yes, I am just fine.”, I replied.

An hour later we were parked in Jasmin’s driveway, her head on my shoulder as I held her close to me. We talked about the upcoming prom and next week’s festivities. I walked her to the door and kissed her goodnight, watching her go in and lock the door behind her.

I was still in bed the next morning when my cell phone rang on the nightstand. I reached over and answered it still half asleep.

“Hey you, what are you doing ?”, Jasmin asked.

“Sleeping.”, I answered.

“Get your lazy butt out of bed Mister. Come over and see me.”, she laughed.

“Ok, in a while, let me take a shower and eat.”, I answered.

I met up with Jasmin a few hours later and we spent most of the day together just hanging out. Jasmin was easy to be with, she was very down to earth, nothing superficial about her at all. She was incredible sexy, that was evident the night before in my truck when she masterbated in front of me. She was very self confident and independent, I really liked being with her, I just had to be very cautious due to the fact I would be leaving town in a few months. I did not want to lead Jasmin on, then have to be the bad guy and leave her hanging. We decided to go out again that night, just to the diner and have a bite to eat. While we were sitting there, I decided to bring the subject up.

“Jazzy, you know I will be leaving town in a few months, right ?”, I asked.

“Yep, everyone does. Why ?”, she answered.

“I just want you to know that I think you’re really great, but I don’t expect anything from you while I am gone.”, I stated, “I will probably not be home much the first year or two, at least that’s what they tell me.”

“I know silly, don’t worry about, we are having a good time now, that’s all that matters.”, she whispered, squeezing my hand tightly.

Jasmin already had a job lined up at the local bank, she would be going to school at night. She wanted to pursue a career in banking as her mother had. She started her new job in August, she had already tested and been accepted in the training program. I would be leaving around the middle of August myself.

Our last day of school was the following Wednesday, there was an informal party in the gym for the seniors and the teachers, kind of a farewell thing. The prom on Saturday night was the hottest topic, everyone had made plans, anticipation was very high. While I was standing there talking to Devon about football, Courtney walked up behind me and tapped me on the shoulder. I could tell by Devon’s reaction, it was bad news. I turned to see my ex-girlfriend standing there, a blank look on her face.

“So, I hear you’re going to the prom after all. And with a good friend of mine. Nice move.”, she snapped.

“Court, I don’t want to fight or argue. Really I don’t.”, I said in a low tone.

“You deliberately asked a friend of mine to try and get back at me, didn’t you ?”, she demanded.

“No Court, I didn’t. If fact, I never planned on going to be honest with you. Jasmin asked me, if you have to know. But why does it matter to you anyway ?”, I inquired.

“It really doesn’t, I hope you have a good time.”, she huffed.

“I hope you have a great time too, Court. I really do, I have no hard feelings toward you at all.”, I stated.

I could see instantly that my words had caught her off guard, I could see her swallow hard, her eye’s tearing up a bit. She hesitated for a second, then turned and walked away just as suddenly as she had appeared.

The rest of the week was filled with last minute errands getting ready for the big night. As I came out of my room and entered the kitchen, Ashley saw me in a tuxedo for the first time.

“Oh Brian, you look so handsome. Come here let me look at you.”, she said excitedly.

She pulled and pinched my clothing, until she had everything just as she wanted it. For a second we were standing extremely close, I could feel her breathe on my face. She smelled so good, I felt my stomach roll over once, it was extremely awkward. I think she might have sensed it as well because she quickly stepped back away from me, her hand running through her hair.

“You look great…… I hope you have a great time, just please be careful.”, she warned.

“I will Ashley, you know me.”, I answered.

I arrived at Jasmin’s house about six o’clock, rang the bell and was greeted by her Mother.

“Thank you Mrs. Thomas, I feel very uncomfortable though.”, I answered.

She laughed softly putting her hand on my back and guiding me into their family room where her husband was watching TV. He got up quickly upon seeing me enter the room.

“Hello Brian, how are you son ?”, he asked, extending his hand.

“I’m fine sir, thank you.”, I answered.

He grabbed me by the arm and pulled me to the sofa next to him, asking me to sit down. He reached for the remote control and lowered the volume on the television set, then turned back to me.

“Brian, I know this is a big night for the both of you. We have not set a curfew for Jasmin, all we ask is that you be careful.”, he started.

“I have heard that you do not drink, that you’re a very responsible young man, that’s all I am asking of you.”, he finished.

“We will not be drinking anything tonight Mr. Thomas, you have my promise on that. I will bring her home safe and sound.”, I replied.

“I know you will son.”, he said, patting my shoulder.

He stood up and reached into his pocket, pulling out a roll of money and extending it to me.

“Here, I want the both of you to have a very nice time.”, he said.

“No sir, I can’t do that. I have money, we will be fine sir, but thank you very much.”, I responded.

He shrugged his shoulders and placed the money back into his pocket, sitting back down on the sofa. Several minutes passed before Jasmin walked into the room, stopping just inside the door. She looked absolutely stunning, her hair was curled up on her head, long ringlets hanging down to her shoulders. She had on a peach colored formal dress with thin spaghetti straps and black heels. She certainly looked a lot older than her eighteen years. I got up and walked over to her, handing her the corsage Ashley had purchased for me. Her mother helped her open the box, then placing it on her daughter’s wrist. We took several obligatory pictures before we left for the next town.

We arrived in the hotel lobby around seven fifteen, several other couples were milling around. We moved towards the ballroom of the hotel where the dance would be held. The room was lavishly decorated, the band was already warming up, there were maybe twenty people already seated at various tables around the large room. Jasmin saw a friend of hers so she rushed over to say hello for a moment. When she came back, we made our way over to the right side of the room and chose a table near the front. By eight thirty the room was really filling up, seniors and their dates, faculty members and their spouses, everyone was there having a great time. Several friends of Jasmin’s and their dates had joined us at our table. I guess it was no big coincidence that Courtney and Darren sat two tables over from us. I pretended not to notice and stay focused on the conversation at our table. The band finally started to play some slower music, Jasmin and I, like many other couples began to hit the dance floor. It seemed every time I was dancing, as we turned to one side, I could see Courtney just staring at me. I pretended not to notice, but it was tough, she was being very obvious. I also saw that they were pouring drinks under the long white table cloth, trying to hide the bottles from the chaperones. I knew if that kept up, there would be trouble, it always happens.

I looked at my watch and it was close to ten thirty, the dance ended at midnight. I knew one of the couples at our table had rented a room upstairs in the hotel, they had invited Jasmin and I to come up at around eleven o’clock. We danced a couple of more times and had just returned to our seats when someone tapped me on my shoulder. I turned and saw that Courtney’s new boyfriend, Darren and two of his friends were standing behind me. I slowly got up from my chair and turned to face him. Jasmin reached up and tried to grab my hand as to discourage me from starting any trouble.

“What do you need Darren ?’, I asked quietly.

“I don’t appreciate you talking to Courtney the way you just did. If it happens again, there will be trouble.”, he said sarcastically.

“What the hell are you talking about Darren. I have not said a word to Courtney since I walked in the door. In fact the last time we spoke was last week when she approached me pissed off because I was coming here with Jasmin.”, I replied, getting a bit louder.

“That’s not what she told me.”, he shot back.

“Well, that’s the truth, so obviously she is telling you a lie. I could give a care less about Courtney or you for that matter. Now I suggest you run along or there will be trouble.”, I ended.

“Back off asshole, I have plenty of friends here. You will get your ass whipped.”, he said raising his voice.

By this time, the entire table heard what was going on and Devon, my teammate and a certifiable madman, got up from the table. He stepped up next to me putting his finger in Darren’s chest.

“Why all the gum flapping boy. You wanna roll, lets do it, right now. Me and B-Boy against you three fuckers, right now. Come on.”, he said pointing to the door.

Darren just stood there for a minute, I think common sense finally sunk in. He just mumbled something about it not happening again and started to walk off toward his table. I just sat back down went back to the conversation at hand. A few minutes later, everyone got up to head to the room upstairs. I pulled Jasmin on the side and asked her if she wanted to go upstairs with the group or go into town and get something to eat. She seemed unsure of what to do, I could tell by the look on her face.

“Everyone is going upstairs to make out and stuff. They have two bedrooms in the suite. They have beer and alcohol, plus some food. Most of them are staying all night.”, she said.

“Jazzy, it’s up to you. We can go wherever you want to go.”, I answered.

“You sure ?”, she asked.

“I’m sure, where do you want to go.”, I replied.

“I would rather go out to eat, if it’s ok with you.”, she asked.

“That would be great.”, I responded.

We quickly said our goodbyes to everyone and made our way to the parking lot. We drove across town to a real nice steak house where we shared a very nice meal. It was quiet and secluded, we really had a nice time. We finished our meal around twelve thirty that night then decided to head towards home. I dropped Jasmin off between one thirty and two o’clock in the morning. I was home for a little after two myself, letting myself in the door quietly. I got undressed and fell asleep relatively quickly.

I was sound asleep when my cell phone rang, it seemed like I had only been sleeping for minutes. I reached over to the nightstand and grabbed the phone and opened it.

“Hello.”, was all I could muster.

“Brian, this is Gerald Timmons, Courtney’s Dad, I’m sorry to bother you but are you guys all still hanging out ?”, he asked nervously.

I looked over at the clock and it was seven thirty in the morning, it took a second for my senses to clear.

“I don’t know know sir, I got home about two o’clock this morning. I think she was still at the prom when I left at midnight, we went to eat after and then came straight home.”, I answered.

“She won’t answer her cell phone and I don’t have Darren’s number. You would not by any chance know it, would you ?”, he asked.

“No sir, I don’t.”, I answered.

“Brian, I am really worried, I told her to be home no later than three o’clock.”, he said.

“I’m sure she is fine sir. They probably just lost track of time.”, I said, trying to reassure him.

“Well if you hear from her, please tell her to call me.”, he begged.

“Yes sir, I will.”, I responded, closing the phone.

I laid back down trying to sort it all out. I hoped Courtney was alright, I knew they had been drinking, and it was a forty five minute drive home. I laid there for a few minutes, then decided to get up and make some breakfast. I was in the kitchen cooking eggs and bacon when Ashley walked in yawning and rubbing her eyes.

“Hey, did I hear a phone ring ?”, she asked, in a sleepy voice.

“Yes, it was Courtney’s Dad looking for her.”, I replied.

“Why would he call you ? You weren’t with her last night were you ?”, she inquired.

“No indeed, I was with Jasmin. We got home about two o’clock, I don’t know where Courtney is at.”, I added.

With school out for the summer, I spent the majority of my time working out in the gym, running and swimming. I wanted to make sure I arrived on campus in August in top physical condition. A little over two weeks after the prom, Jasmin called me and told me that her ex-boyfriend was calling her and asking her if she would consider taking him back. While I have to admit it bothered me a lot, deep down I knew I was leaving in less than two months and there was no way a relationship like we had could last. We talked for a while and I could tell she still had deep feelings for him by the way she was talking. She was asking me for reasons why she should not take him back, when in fact if she really felt that way, she would know the reasons not to. In the end, I told her that maybe giving him another chance was the right thing to do, if he messed up again, then she would really know there was no chance of a relationship with him. She thanked me for being so understanding and promised she would stay in touch.

After a couple of days had passed, it was actually easier on me not being attached. I was spending four to five hours a day training, the rest relaxing and getting items that I would need to take with me to school. News got back to me that Jasmin and her boyfriend were back together which I think deep down, is what she really wanted. I was spending all of my free time at home, I rarely went out anywhere.

The week before I was scheduled to leave, I got my information packet in the mail with everything I needed to know about the campus. I had my dorm room, my book list, a training schedule, a list of available tutors and so on. I was scheduled to arrive on campus early Friday morning where I would be greeted by an athletic assistant who would help me settle in. I was in the best shape of my life, my weight was 289.9 lbs, my strength was up in every exercise across the board and I was running a 4.99 forty yard dash.

Since I was completely packed and ready to go, I decided on Wednesday night to go out one last time and see whomever was out. I went to the local diner and saw a few people from school. I hung out there for about an hour shooting the bull, everyone talking about there future plans. I was just getting ready to leave when Courtney walked through the front door, alone. This was the last thing I needed, just days before I was to get out of this town. I continued talking to the people in our booth, hoping as always, she would avoid me. She sat down at the far end of the counter, closest to the door and placed her order. Since there was no back way out, I would either have to wait until she left or walk pass her to leave.

Maybe ten minutes later the group I was with decided to go down to the lake and make out, or watch the “The Submarine Races” as we called it. I had no choice but to head home when they got up, since I had no date. I paid my bill and was walking toward the door when Courtney looked up and smiled at me. I smiled back and continued to walk towards the door until she called out.

“Hey Brian, can I talk to you for a second ?”, she asked sweetly.

I really wanted no part of a conversation with Court, I didn’t need any drama this close to leaving town.

“I guess so.”, I answered, “You want to get a table ?”

“No not here, outside if that’s ok ?”, she asked.

I shrugged my shoulders and walked out the door with Courtney behind me to the tables that were under the awning. But this time the place was packed and their was very little privacy to talk. She looked around and saw my truck parked on the far end of the lot.

“Can we talk in your truck ?”, she asked, pointing to the vehicle.

“Court, I don’t think that’s a good idea….. I mean…. I don’t want to fight with you.”, I responded.

“I promise, no fighting Brian, just talking, I swear.”, she whispered.

Against better judgement, I nodded my head and we walked toward the end of the parking lot. I unlocked the doors and we both climbed in, closing the doors behind us. For about thirty seconds there was an awkward pause, then Courtney spoke up.

“Brian, I don’t know where to begin, or even how to say it. I have screwed up so many things lately, it seems like a nightmare I can’t wake up from.” she started.

“All I am sure of is that since I let you go, I have been absolutely miserable. You treated me like a lady, like I was someone special. I didn’t realize that until I dated others.”, she continued.

“I cannot undo what I have done. But I want you to know I still love you, I always have. I know I have no right to ask you to forgive me, but if you would give me another chance, I swear I will never hurt you again.”, she ended.

I just sat there kind of stunned, this was not what I expected to hear. I had cared for Courtney very much when we were dating, I thought the world of her parents. But to throw all of this at me, two days before I was leaving town was too much to handle.

“Court, I really don’t know what to say. Honestly, I never really understood why you pushed me away in the first place.”, I said softly.

“That night, the night I wanted to make love to you, you rejected me. It hurt like hell. I thought you just didn’t care about me as much as I did you.”, she quietly said, hesitating several times.

“Court, it had nothing to do with that, I told you that.”, I answered.

“I know Brian, you were thinking of our future, I wasn’t.”, she said.

“Then I started hanging around with Darren and his friends, all they do is drink and I got caught up in it. I am in so much trouble with my parents right now. I have lost all of their trust and respect, I feel so lost.”, she added.

“Court, your parents are good people, they may be upset right now, but they will come around. But if you want my opinion, dump Darren now, he is going to be trouble. And if you stay with him, he will drag you down as well.”, I warned.

“We broke up a few weeks ago, my Dad made sure of that.”, she answered.

She went on to tell me about the restrictions her parents had placed on her and how bad things were at home. I felt bad for Courtney, deep down she was a very good girl, she just got mixed up with the wrong crowd. Thankfully she got out before she got into any serious trouble.

“When do you leave for school Brian ?”, she asked.

“Day after tomorrow, early in the morning.”, I answered.

Can I ask you a personal question, without you getting upset with
me ?”, she asked ,with some hesitation in her voice.

“I guess so Courtney, what’s on your mind ?”, I responded.

“How serious are you and Jasmin. Do you…… love her ? “, she stuttered.

“Jasmin is back together with Elton, has been for a couple of weeks.”, I told her.

I could tell by the look on her face, she had no idea. I’m not sure if she seemed happy or perhaps relieved, it was hard to tell.

“Oh, I didn’t know. I am so sorry Brian, what happened ?”, she asked.

“Nothing happened, Jasmin and I are good friends that’s it. We went out a few times, nothing else.” I stated.

“Wow, I heard you two were really serious about each.”, she said, fishing for information.

“Serious ? I don’t know who told you that, but nothing serious happened between the two of us.”, I said.

I could tell by the way she was squirming in her seat, she still had several things on her mind that she wanted to talk about. I was ready to go home, I was tired of forty questions.

“Brian, do you think you could ever feel anything for me again, you know, like it was before I screwed things up.”, she asked, shyly.

“I don’t know Court, I mean so much has happened, it’s really hard to think that far ahead right now. And I am leaving day after tomorrow, who knows what will happen.”, I said slowly.

“Brian, I want you to know I did not sleep with Darren, that is the truth.”, she replied.

“Court, you don’t owe me anything at all. It’s your business what you do.”, I answered.

“I know, but I still wanted you to know, that’s all. “, she shot back.

We talked for a few more minutes but we were constantly distracted by friends blowing horns at us, or yelling out, surprised to see us talking together. I could see she was getting aggravated at the distractions as was I.

“Can you give me a ride home ?”, she asked.

“Sure, no problem.”, I responded, starting up the truck.

I pulled out of the lot and headed towards Courtney’s house. She was oddly quiet as we drove, I noticed her looking at me several times in an odd manner. About ten minutes later, we pulled into her drive.

“Can we talk for a few more minutes ?”, she pleaded.

I reached over and turned the truck off, sitting back in my seat. I was really tired and wanted to go home, but I didn’t need any unnecessary drama at this point. She reached across the front seat and took my hand in hers, looking into my eyes.

“Brian, I don’t know if I am going to say this right but here goes. I am in love with you. I have been since the first time we went out. I made a huge mistake by pushing you away. I am just hoping you can forgive me and give me another chance to prove to you just how much I love you.”, she ended with a sigh, tears in her eyes.

I felt helpless looking into her eyes, familiar feelings came rushing from deep inside of me. I looked away quickly for fear she would see right through me. I took a deep breathe then turned back to her.

“Court, I don’t know what to say, really I don’t. I do care for you, I never stopped, but what do you want to do at this point ?”, I asked.

“I want to wait for you, I will be here when you get back, I promise you.”, she said, squeezing my hand tightly.

“Courtney, I can’t ask you to do that. Especially not now, after all that has happened.”, I answered.

“You’re not asking me to wait, I am offering to wait. That is if you still think we might have a future together.”, she asked.

I just sat there looking at her, she looked beautiful yet so fragile, pouring her soul out to me, holding nothing back. I was at a loss for words, I had no idea what to say to her. I finally gathered my senses somewhat, I don’t even know where the idea came from.

“Court, I will be leaving day after tomorrow. How about we both give this some thought, I will be home over the Christmas holiday’s, if you still feel the same, we can see what happens.”, I offered.

She thought carefully for a second, then a smile crossed her face for the first time since we began this conversation. She leaned over and gave me a hug, kissing me quick on the cheek.

“That’s a deal I can live with. And I promise you, I will not go out with anyone else until you come home.” she said.

“I’m not asking you to do that Court, that’s up to you.”, I replied.

“I know it is. It’s what I want to do. If anything changes, I promise I will be honest and call you. Will you do the same if you meet
someone ?”, she asked.

“That’s a deal.”, I answered, holding her hand in mine.

I left for school late Thursday evening and arrived very early Friday morning, the bus trip was long and tiring. I was met at the station by one of the graduate assistants who helped carry my bags to the waiting van. We drove about thirty minutes before we arrived on campus, he took me on a quick tour, pointing out all of the points of interest, before pulling up in front of the athletic dormitory. He helped me collect my bags and led me to room 1356, which would be my home for the next year. He told me to get settled in, someone would call on me later. I looked around at the small, sparsely furnished room. There was a single bed, a desk, one large and one small dresser along with one closet. I began to unpack my clothes, putting everything in it’s place. Sometime around two o’clock, there was a knock on the door. One of the defensive coaches, Ray Milton stood in the door. He extended his hand to me quickly, a large smile as he looked up at me.

“Brian, it’s really nice to meet you son. I have heard so much about you. I have watched a lot of tape on you as well. I must say though, you’re even more impressive in person than on film.” he stated.

“Thank you Coach.”, I replied, shaking his hand.

“How many days a week were you working out over this past summer son ?”, he asked with a grin.

“Six days a week sir, I took Sunday’s off.”, I responded.

“I’m impressed Brian, I really am. I can’t tell you how many people show up out of shape thinking they are going to coast because they were Mr. Wonderful at their respective little high school.”, he laughed.

He handed me a packet which contained all of the schedules I would adhere to as an athlete. This was by and large, completely separate from my obligations as a student. I was expected to not let one interfere with the other. As a red shirt freshman I would workout and practice with the team, but I would not be allowed to dress out on game days. I would have to sit in the stands like everyone else, although my tickets were complimentary.

I took the weekend to get familiar with the campus and get aquainted with the coaching staff, trainers and players. On Monday morning, I picked up my class schedule, classes would start on Wednesday morning. Looking at my schedule, I saw little time for social activity. I would be in the gym at six every morning, then my first class was at nine that morning. Classes would let out around three, then it was back to the gym for evening workout, or practice if it was scheduled.

It is actually mind boggling what a student athlete has to go through at a major university. Both the academic and sports programs made demands on your time that were relenting, you never had a moment to yourself. By the time we actually put on pads and hit the field, my mind was numb, I was just going through the motions.

It took exactly ten minutes into my first college practice to realize two things. First, I was no longer the big man on campus, there was a long line of athletes competing for that spot. Second, almost everyone here was as strong and as fast as I was. It was going to take more than just size and speed to play here, it was going to take heart, and a great deal of it.

After the second week of practice had come to an end, I was beginning to grasp the schemes and stunts that were being thrown at us. In fact I was learning all of the little techniques that veterans used to get the edge over their opponents. Every now and then I even earned some praise from one of the coaches.

We started the season ranked ninth in the country, which was solely based on where the team had finished a year ago. This was a very young team, very few senior starters, so it was going to be a rebuilding year for sure. We won our first three non-conference games easily, beating very small schools who played us just for the revenue. The team would be traveling to Florida this weekend to play, our first conference game, although we were not allowed to travel with the team. I sat in my dorm room and watched us win a very tight game 28-21, which possibly meant a move up the rankings if someone above us lost.

I was beginning to see more playing time in practice, in fact I was actually getting rep’s with the first string, which really surprised me. By now I was beginning to hold my own with the upper classman, I was not being pushed around as much. There was no doubt that the defense was going to determine just how good this team would be for the next few years. We were loaded with size, speed and talent.

We were three quarters of the way through the season and still unbeaten, although the meat of our schedule was left to play. We had an away game in Arkansas next, then we had our bye or week off, then came back after Christmas to play a team from Georgia at home. Since I was not allowed to travel with the team and we had our bye week right behind a road game, I had eleven days off from classes and practices over the holidays. I asked and received permission to go home for that period of time, more importantly I needed the break. I had been talking to Courtney about once a week or so, the same with Ashley, trying to keep up on current events around my hometown. I decided to take the last bus out on Friday night, that would put me home about six in the morning, Ashley agreed to pick me up. As the bus pulled into our sleepy little town, I saw Ashley sitting in her car waiting for me. I got off the bus and made my way to it’s underside, grabbing two large bags from under the bus storage compartments. Ashley met me halfway, wrapping her arms around me, jumping into my arms. I was actually quite surprised by the greeting she gave me.

“It’s so great to see you again hotshot. Damn it looks like you’re still growing.”, she said.

“Hey Ashley, it’s nice to be home. I’m exhausted.”, I answered.

On the ride home, she gave me the quick update on the town’s goings on since I had left. What was happening at the old high school, so forth and so on. By the time we arrived home, all I wanted to do was sleep. I excused myself from Ashley and hit the bed, I slept until seven that evening. I found Ashley in the kitchen cleaning up for the night.

“Hey, you’re finally up. Did you sleep well ?”, she asked with a smile.

“Uh huh.”, I answered.

“There’s a plate for you in the fridge if you’re hungry. I am going to take a shower.”, she said.

“Ok, thanks.”, I responded.

I warmed up the food and sat and ate at the kitchen table. It was nice to be home, this was the first time I had been really relaxed in months. I cleaned my dishes, loaded them in the rack and went to the family room. I was watching TV when Ashley came back into the room, her hair wrapped in a towel, wearing shorts and a tee shirt. It didn’t matter what Ashley was wearing, what time of day it was, or what she was doing. She was absolutely drop dead gorgeous all of the time. It was really hard for me not to stare at her. As close as we were, I still felt very uncomfortable when I was alone with her, almost afraid. We were watching TV when she turned to me with that evil grin she had, the one that let you know she wanted something.

“So, you have a girlfriend up at school yet ?”, she asked, smiling.

“No, I haven’t dated once, there is no time.”, I responded.

“No time ? Come on Brian, I know there are girls everywhere. You can’t tell me different.”, she laughed.

“Oh there are tons of girls, but so far I haven’t talked to anyone.”, I answered.

“Well just so you know, Courtney asks me about you every time I see her. From what I hear, she hasn’t been dating anyone either. You two have an agreement ?”, she inquired.

“Yes and no. It’s really informal.”, I replied.

She went back to watching TV and the topic died off quickly. About thirty minutes later, I decided to call it a night and go back to bed. I fell asleep quickly, I was still exhausted.

I awoke Saturday morning to a dreary, gloomy day, the rain falling in a steady pattern. I ate breakfast, then decided to go to the gym and get in a quick workout. It was good to see Carl again, he seemed eager to hear about my training at school. We talked for a while, I had a good workout, took a swim, then headed home. Around two that afternoon my cell phone rang, it was Courtney.

“Hey Brian, I heard you’re home. Whatcha’ doing ?”, she asked.

“Hi Court. Not much, just relaxing.”, I answered.

“Can you come over later tonight, maybe have dinner ?”, she inquired.

“I guess so, about six ?”, I asked.

“That’s great, see you then.”, she ended.

I left for Courtney’s about six that evening, arrived a few minutes after. I could see several vehicles in the drive, so I figured her parents were entertaining again, they did that quite a bit. I rang the bell and within seconds Courtney answered the door, jumping into my arms.
I hugged her tight, it was good to see her again. She led me into the family room where her mom and dad, as well as two other couples their age, were talking and drinking wine.

“Hey look who came home for a few days ?”, she shouted as we entered the room.

“Brian, it’s so nice to see you son. It looks like school is treating you well.”, Mr. Timmons said, extending his hand.

“Yes sir, things are going well.”, I replied.

I always liked Courtney’s Dad, he was a genuine person, but he never made you feel like he was judging you. He reminded me a lot of my own Father, he appeared to be a man you could go to and get advice when needed. He offered me a seat on the sofa and began to question me about how life was away from home. The men were all interested in my answers, the ladies appeared to be bored. Football was not king in their world. After a few minutes, Courtney’s Mom interrupted the conversation.

“Ok now, I’m sure Courtney and Brian have a lot of catching up to do. Leave them be. Now you two run along.”, she said, waving her hand towards the front living room.

Courtney jumped up, grabbed me by the hand pulling me up. We walked into the formal living area and sat down next to each other. Courtney began asking questions about school as well, although I really think she had other things on her mind. She seemed extremely relieved when I told her just how hectic my days were, I barely had time for myself. She chimed in that she had been working in her Dad’s office, she had been very busy trying to learn the business. She made sure to tell me she had not been out on a date since I had left town.
Just about that time her Mother called out that dinner was ready, everyone gathering in the large dining room. Courtney and I were seated at one end of the table together, across from her parents. Conversation was mostly adult oriented, business, family and friends dominated the conversation. Finally as I knew he would, Courtney’s Dad interjected football into the night’s conversation.

“So Brian, any idea if you will get to play next year ?”, he asked.

“No sir, not really. I am rotating with the first unit in practice, I am getting a lot of reps, but the competition is unreal.”, I answered.

“Oh come on Brian. You’re telling me the defensive line is that good, to the point you can’t start next year ?”, he laughed.

“Yes sir, it’s that good. In fact I have heard the coaches say a few times, we could be the best defense in the country next year.”, I replied, “We should average 290 lbs. up front and our backers are all over 250 lbs and quite fast.”

“That’s unreal.”, he said, shaking his head.

Courtney’s Mom once again reeled her husband in, taking the topic away from football. We finished dinner, the ladies all helped clean up before rejoining us in the family room. Courtney and I had planned to go out the next evening alone, so I decided to call it a night early. I thanked her mom for a nice dinner and walked with Courtney out to my truck.

“I will see you tomorrow night.”, Courtney said softly, wrapping her arms around me, kissing me softly on the lips.

I slept in late the next morning, getting up about nine o’clock. Ashley was in the kitchen, grading papers, drinking a cup of coffee. I poured a cup of coffee amd joined her at the table. She asked how my evening had been, I recalled the details to her, although it was really bland to say the least. I picked Courtney up that evening and we went to the seven o’clock show at the local theatre. She looked really good, she had on a short jean skirt, a white sweater and suede brown boots. I could see several guys eyeing her up as we walked into the theatre, she knew it too. Don’t let anyone fool you, beautiful girls know you’re watching, whether they let on or not.

We sat in the last row, in the middle of the room, we were lone in the row. She held my hand throughout the entire show, almost as she was afraid I was going to run off somewhere. After the show we went to the local diner for a hamburger and fries, arriving just before ten. The place was packed, I saw a lot of familiar faces from school. We had to wait for a few minutes, but a booth in the back finally opened up. We ate rather quickly and made our way to the register to check out. I paid the waitress, handed her a tip and we walked out. It was getting close to eleven as we pulled out of the parking lot of the diner. As I was about to turn on the main highway into town, Courtney turned and touched my arm.

“Can we go down to the lake for a while, just the two of us ?”, she asked softly, her fingers tracing up my arm.

“I guess we can for a while.”, I answered, turning the truck in the other direction.

We made our way quickly to a secluded spot near a few large oak trees on the northeast corner of the lake. There were only two other cars there, both of them several hundred yards away from us. I turned off the engine, cut the lights and sat back in my seat.

“This is nice.”, said Courtney, reaching out and grabbing my hand in hers.

She turned and placed her back against the truck door, swinging her legs somehat up on the seat between us. She was wearing a very short jean skirt, I caught a glimpse of her red panties as she opened her legs. She began to ask about life at school again, I knew where the conversation was headed.

“So what do you do in your spare time at school ?”, she asked, trying her best to seem interested.

“I don’t have any spare time Court.”, I replied, “I go for about 14 hours a day. If I’m lucky, I have off Sunday, which I spend sleeping most of the day.”

“You don’t go out…. Like, you know…with the guys ?”, she inquired.

“Court, I haven’t been off campus once since I got there.”, I answered.

“Wow, that sounds boring to me……….. I would go insane.”, she said.

“Sometimes, it gets to you, but I work through it.”, I responded.

She got quiet and started looking out of the front windshield towards the lake. It was a clear night, the moon was shining off the water, it was a really peaceful night.After a brief moment, sher turned back to me.

“So Brian, how do you feel about our situation ? Have you given it any thought ?”, she asked.

“Actually yes I have, quite a bit. How about you ?”, I inquired.

“Yea, me too.”, she said.

“And ?”, I asked.

“No, you first.”, she stated, nervously.

“Well, I am ok with us going back to where we were before I left, if that’s ok with you. But if anything happens to change how you feel, just please call me and be honest, no sneaking around.”, I stated.

“That sounds good.”, she said, looking relieved, “But you do the same. If you meet someone up there and you’re serious, please let me know.”

Just that quickly the tension was lifted, it was like the clock had been turned back a full year. Courtney slid over very close to me and laid her head on my shoulder, her arm around my waist. I put my arm around her and pulled her close to me, that familiar scent once again stirring my senses. We sat there for close to ten minutes, holding each other close, enjoying the night. Finally Courtney lifted her head from my shoulder and looked up at me.

“Brian, it took losing you for a while to make me understand just how different you are than most guys.”, she said softly.

“Deep down I’m not that different Court, I am just able to control myself. Every now and then, I would love to say, “Hell with it” and cut loose. But I always hear my Dad warning me of the consequences.” I told her.

“Yes I know. My Dad always tells me you’re the most grounded guy he has ever met for your age. I actually think he loves you as much as I do.”, she laughed.

“Can I ask you one question though ?”, she whispered softly, her hand touching mine again.

“Sure, you can.”, I answered.

She hesitated for a few seconds, she appeared to be searching for the right words. It took a while but she finally spoke up.

“Um…. Why don’t you ever….. I mean…… Jeez… why don’t you ever come on to me ? Why do you sit back and wait for me… to uh….. You know, make the first move ?”, she stuttered.

“I guess because my Dad always told me to respect women at all times.”, I answered.

“Brian, I am very aware of how much you respect me. But it’s still nice to feel desired, to know that I make you kinda crazy.”, she continued, “If I am not interested, I will let you know, trust me.”

“Ok Court, I will try to remember that.”, I responded.

Once again, she got quiet, several moments passed, before she chuckled quietly to herself. She once again looked up at me laughing quietly.

“Sooooooooooooooo ?”, she grinned.

“Oh, you mean now ?”, I asked.

“Who said football players were not brilliant ?”, she laughed.

She reached her hand up and pulled me close to her, her lips pressing into mine for a soft, moist kiss. Quickly her tongue moved between my lips, caressing me softly. I placed my hand on her hip, pulling her body closer to mine, her breasts pressing into my chest. She moaned gently into my mouth in response to my pulling her body into mine. I pulled my lips from hers, my tongue gently licking her upper lip as I pulled away from her. I slide my hand down from her hip coming to rest on her upper thigh, her smooth skin like silk under my touch. She closed her eyes in response to the feel of my hand on her leg, I felt her tremble slightly for a second. I leaned in again and placed my mouth to hers, pushing my tongue into her mouth again. At the same time, I slowly slid my hand around to the inside of her thigh, pushing slowly under her skirt. She quickly opened her legs in response to my eager hands, I sensed no hestitation on her part. I pushed my hand under her skirt, between her warm smooth thighs, coming to rest against the sheer, silky fabric of her panties. I began to stroke her pussy through the thin fabric of her lingerie, my finger pressing between the lips of her pussy. I could feel her panties become damp with her fluids, her thighs clenching then releasing my hand in a rythematic pattern. She pulled her lips from mine, her lips moving to my ear, her hot breathe warming my face.

“Go inside baby, please go inside.” she whispered.

I slid my fingers up the front of her panties, feeling for the waist band. Once found, I eased my fingers inside of them, slowly sliding down towards her wet opening. I slowly worked my index finger into her opening, she was soaking wet with desire. Soon I had my finger buried as deeply as I could inside of her, then gently pulling out before repeating the motion, over and over. Her breathing had already become erratic, her hips rocking on the seat of the truck.

“God that feels so good Brian. It’s been so long.”, she panted into my ear.

Finally I felt her hand slide down my chest, landing in my lap. Her fingers unbuttoned my jeans quickly, then lowered my zipper. She reached inside of my jeans, pulled my shorts open and wrapped her soft, small hand around my swollen cock. The feeling was initially so intense, I was afraid I would cum in her hand right away. I had to wince, my muscles tightening to fight off an orgasm. Although I managed not to cum, I had precum oozing from my cock, her fingers coating my cock as she gently jerked me off.

“Oh baby, don’t cum too fast.”, she urged.

“I’m ok, it just feels really good Court.”, I answered, softly.

I once again tried to concentrate on my fingers, buried deep in her pussy. I eased my index finger out, finding her clit quickly, rubbing it gently. She immediately arched her back and pushed her hips forward letting a long soft moan escape her throat.

“I’m not gonna last long Brian. I need to cum really bad baby.”, she said, matter of factly.

I decided I wanted to make this first time back with Courtney be more than just my fingers taking her over the edge. I pulled my hand from under her skirt quickly, she objected almost immediately.

“Heyyyyyyy, don’t stop…… “, she whimpered.

“It’s ok Court, just sort of stand up for a second, lean again the dashboard.”, I asked.

“What are you doing ?”, she asked, getting off the seat, her body jammed in the tight confines of the truck interior.

I simply turned my shoulders away from her and laid back completely on the seat so that my head was now here she had been sitting. I reached up under her skirt and quickly pulled her panties down to her ankles. I reached up and pulled her thighs toward my head, she almost immediately knew what I wanted.

“Oh my God, really ?”, she asked, surprised.

“Uh huh.”, I quickly replied.

Courtney slowly but surely managed to straddle my head with her soft , warm thighs. She was now kneeling above me, her pussy just inches from my lips. She pulled her skirt up to her waist with one hand, her other reached between her legs and began to rub her pussy, her eyes looking directly into mine for a reaction. As much as I loved looking into her big brown eyes, I couldn’t take them off of her fingers as she continued to please herself.

“You like to watch me rub my pussy baby ?”, she asked, hoarsely.

“God yes Court, it’s so hot.”, I answered.

“I did this many nights thinking of you Brian.”, she whispered back, her eyes glazed over in pleasure.

I didn’t answer, I simply reached up grabbing her hips and pulling her down onto my mouth. Almost as soon as her pussy touched my lips, I pushed my tongue up inside of her with one quick thrust. She exhaled deeply as I entered her, soft moans acknowledging my efforts. With my tongue buried deep inside of her, she began to rock her hips forward and back, her clit grinding into my upper lip. The speed of her hips quickly increased as she reached down grabbing my head with both hands and pulling my face deeper into her soaked vagina. I grabbed her hips firmly and pulled her down as tightly as I could, holding her on my tongue. That’s all it took.

I felt a sudden gush of fluids, much thicker than normal as she rode wave after wave of pleasure, her body contuning to spasm above me. She eased up her grip slightly, I was able to pull my tongue from inside of her, moving quickly to her clit. I began to flick my tongue rapidly across her swollen , hard clit as quickly as possible. She was on the down side of her orgasm, when her body was wracked by another just that quickly.

“Oh…Oh God, againnnnnnnnnn……, she screamed, her hands once again clutching the back of my head tightly.

She continued to moan as she rocked gently back and forth, my tongue flying across her clit. Finally unable to stand it anymore, she reached down placing her hands on my shoulders, pushing herself off of my face. She looked down, her face flushed, a huge smile of her face.

“Brian, my God, that was absolutely the best cum I have ever had.”, she said, her hand stroking my face softly.

She moved back up into a standing position, allowing me to sit back up in the seat. She quickly turned and plopped back down hard in her seat, a content look on her face. I leaned over and pressed my lips to hers, easing my tongue inside of her mouth. I knew she was tasting her own cum on my lips, as she passionately kissed me back. I reached down between her legs only to find her hand already there, rubbing herself gently. I placed my hand over hers and just followed her movements, letting her know I loved to see her pleasure herself. She pulled her lips from mine, reached out placed one hand in the center of my chest and pushed me back hard against the seat. With her hand still extended outright, she lowered her face toward my still rock hard cock.

She opened her lips slightly, sucking in the head of my cock slowly. I then felt her tongue slide down the front of my swollen shaft. She wrapped her right hand around the base of my cock, beginning to stroke my cock up and down slowly. She eased her mouth off of me for a moment.

“Is this ok baby ?”, she asked.

“It feels great Court.”, I responded.

She once again wrapped her lips around my cock and began to suck on me, her hand stroking me into her mouth. I could feel her tongue swirling around my shaft as she continued to apply suction to throbbing cock. It took less than a minute, I knew I was past the point of no return.

“Court, baby, I’m gonna cum, watch it.”, I warned.

“Mmmmmmmmm.”, was all I heard.

“Baby, please….I’m gonna cum.”, I groaned.

She released my cock for a quick second only, her hand jerking me off in a rapid motion.

“Go ahead baby, cummmmm.”, she urged.

Just as quickly she sucked my shaft back into her mouth, her tongue swirling around the head. I felt the first blast of cum race up my cock, exploding into her soft warm mouth. It caught her by surprise, she swallowed hard, her mouth almost coming off of my cock. Her lips were barely around my swollen head as several more thick ropes of cum erupted against her lips, running down over her hand that was furiously pumping my cock. She once again regained control and opened her mouth driving my cock deep inside of her throat. Several more streams of cum raced from my cock, her greedy mouth sucking it all down. As my orgasm subsided, she continued to pump my cock, squeezing it gently, milking what was left of my orgasm, into her eager mouth. Once she sensed I was spent, she eased up her pressure and gently began to suck my softening cock, as she massaged my balls in her small soft hand. She continued to lick and kiss my shaft until my erection had completely subsided, the feeling was incredible.

She finally sat back up, hair in her eyes, her mouth glistening with my orgasm.

“Was that ok, baby ?”, she asked.

“Oh my God Court, that was incredible.”, I answered, stroking her cheek.

“It’s my first time, I hope you enjoyed it.”, she stated, her lips kissing my hand, softly.

“You were amazing Court.”, I answered. minute her breathing became labored, her body started to quiver and tremble. Once again she looked at me through lust filled eyes.

Determined not to be scrambling at the last mtiune this year, I have ALL my Christmas cards done. You can't know how many years I have wanted to be able to say that! But the sneak peak on these tags have me wondering if I could make a huge batch with my remaining supplies to make my gifts really stand out. Thanks for the chance to win this issue.

Thanks for this Courtney. I don't really rembemer my parents serving much when I was a child. And I didn't serve at all in my teen/college years so it's been a struggle for me to learn and to teach my children as well. We did this year start serving once a month at a soup kitchen, and my boys love it! My oldest son has a very giving heart and wants to go help out all the time. Just recently we have to move out of our current home and he wanted to give me all his birthday money to buy us a new home since we aren't sure where we are going yet.